by My friend Kevin Rogers of Copy Chief teaches something called the ‘60 Second Sales Hook’.
If you’ve never heard of the 60SSH, you can grab your own copy here.
It’s a free writing tool, a fun exercise, and highly recommended.
(The story behind how Kevin created it is worth a look at the ebook alone.)
You can use it to create or revitalise your About page copy, your company bio, your social media blurbs, your podcast and webinar intros…
…all sorts of areas when you need to communicate the essence of what you do, quickly and clearly.
(You can read how mine turned out here.)
Basically, the 60SSH is a framework that helps you tell the story of your biz and why it helps people, in an entertaining and memorable way
Entertaining and memorable are more important than ever these days – and yes that includes in b2b sales.
(Funny how it’s always b2b that we pick on in examples like this isn’t it?
Often with good reason though:
So many sins are committed in the name of businesses selling to other businesses, as if the PERSON writing the sales message forgets there’s another PERSON on the other end of it…
…a living, breathing, mess of a human just like them. With hopes and dreams, anxieties and hang-ups… not to mention a demanding boss to please and that mortgage to pay off.
And yet, from Saas to supplies, you still see tons of b2b web copy with all the charm and personality of an alien trying to seduce a tractor.
Ok, no more picking on b2b, I promise.
At least for another week…)
So anyway, back to entertaining & memorable.
We’re talking here about communicating your origin story, and giving an overview of why you do what you do…
You’re NOT looking to close any sales in these few introductory paragraphs.
It’s about getting attention in a way that hooks your reader’s attention (or your audience’s – 60SSHs are great for presentations and networking, too).
You use the simple ‘ISDR’ framework based around a personal struggle (your own or a customer’s) to get your story across clearly.
As you’d expect from someone like Kevin, it’s highly effective.
But here’s the key thing to remember when you write the origin story for your biz, whether it’s with a 60SSH or otherwise:
When you express how you’ve struggled, you break down barriers…
The walls of pretence and perfection come tumbling down, and people stop looking at you as some distant being ‘marketing’ a solution from the lofty heights of success.
Shit gets more real, to put it bluntly.
Everyone fails, often, and failure expressed well creates this weird bond that the flipside – success – just can’t match.
When you cop to your flaws publically, you invite your reader in close…
They get to know the person or people behind the business, and you’re seen for what you are:
A mess of decisions and contradictions, talents and flaws. Honest, imperfect, likeable, different…
Someone with unique gifts to offer.
Do this well, and around the right people, and trust blossoms…
And when prospects know, like and trust you, that’s when they become valued customers and clients.
You can give yourself a better shot at that process with a free download of the 60 Second Sales Hook here.
Enjoy!
