The Art Of The Start: Part 2

Continue resident contributor, Cobalt Paladin‘s story of his take of the Art Of The Start: Part 1 with Part 2. He shares his personal experiences in trying to get customers near the beginning of his entrepreneurial venture.

Probably like many budding entrepreneurs, when I had my idea, my heart was filled with excitement. I thought my idea was simply brilliant and there was no way I was gonna fail. It did not help that I had my first successful deal at my first attempt even before I officially started my business venture. I really thought I was gonna be successful from day one. How wrong I was. My second successful deal only came 7 months later after I had countless rejections. The second deal was sealed only because a steep discount was given. I had no choice, I was desperate.

Thinking back now, I realised my mistake. It was really not enough just to have myself understanding the idea in my head. The idea may seem simple, logical and even common sense but that was because I was the one who thought of it. If the idea was really that simple, there would actually be a lot more people having the same idea and doing the same thing.

It was really not enough just to have myself “get” what I’m trying to do because I need potential clients to “get” what I’m doing too. The crux of the problem – the message.

So during my second year of entrepreneurial venture, after heeding the advice of a contact, I changed my business model, presentation and marketing angle. Not realising then: I had in effect changed my message. I was no longer explaining my idea to potential clients from my perspective; I was presenting my idea in a way that help them understand from their perspective and how my idea will benefit them. I was also relating my idea to a product the potential clients know and understand. Even though my selling price had increased by 3 fold, I actually had more sales! The critical difference was really making my message understood.

And to articulate my idea, I actually started using Powerpoint for my presentation. I used to think that Powerpoint was for stiffs in suits but in reality, the product is really useful as an aid to presenting your ideas and in a format that can easier capture the attention of your audience.

If you were in your clients’ position, why would you buy the product? In order for you to deliver a successful message, you must try to understand your clients’ business and their needs. How your product can help them. If you can think of many ways how your product can help the client, highlight the most important few because if you highlight too many, you’ll eventually loose the attention of your client and thus your message. To make a successful pitch, the client must be able to retain and remember your message.

Just think about MP3 players. Steve Job’s iPod was definitely not the first MP3 player made or sold but it was the first one to capture the masses! Many companies like Sony, Creative, iRiver had tried to market their players and they were much earlier in the game but they never succeed. When Apple came along with their iPod, it took the market by storm. The difference – their marketing message. In my opinion, Apple’s message was targeted towards the general consumer and touting it as a lifestyle product. Whereas, the other companies’ messages were marketed in a way only geeks and technophiles would understand. No wonder iPod captured the imagination of the masses!

Sometimes, it may not be your idea that was not good; the problem often lies in the message. If nobody understood your idea, how would anyone buy it?

Editor’s note: The article is also published in Cobalt Paladin’s personal blog.

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