I was recently alerted to this story by one of our readers… It’s based on a social experiment conducted by Simon Sinek - Author of “Start with why”. The story highlights how one small change in your communications with people can drastically change your outcomes. It’s worth reading if you sometimes feel misunderstood or undervalued. Anyway, here it is… “There’s a homeless woman sitting on the corner of 23rd Street and Park Avenue, New York. Leaning against her is a handwritten cardboard sign that reads; “Im homeless. Im hungry. Ive got 6 kids. Ive got AIDS. Please help. God bless The street is busy and many of the passers-by stop to leave the change from their pockets. Now, on an “average day”... over the space of 8 to 10 hours… this homeless woman might normally make $20 and $30. That being the case. It’s not unrealistic to presume the sign she is holding is a piece of marketing. (However modest it may be). So is it effective? Well let’s get to that in a second, but first let me explain the accepted theory here; As much as we like to think we are giving simply and selflessly, the fact is, every time we hand-over money to a charitable cause, we are actually completing a transaction. We are (whether we believe it or not) actually buying something. What the charity is selling is “goodwill”. What we are buying is a “warm feeling inside”. Because it feels good to give right? Interestingly, this “buying” decision is based on the same psychology as any purchasing decision. It’s not the noblest notion I know, but stay with me here… there’s a lesson attached! “So back to the corner of 23rd Street and Park Avenue we go… To test and see if all the principles of communication work the same way in business as they do for any individual… The homeless woman was approached and asked if a few minor changes could be made to her sign. She agreed and the very next day… She earned $40 in just 2 hours! So what did the new sign say? Well for starters, it was no longer about HER. It was about THEM. (Anyone in marketing or sales will get this) Her original sign simply asked for something without consideration for the needs of the reader, or without appealing to their higher values. When the changes were made, it touched these higher values and warmed the passers-by sufficiently that they gave heartily to her cause. I’m not saying that the cause was any more or less important. Just that the communication was changed. And that… my friend… can make all the difference for you too. So what DID the new sign say? It said simply: If you only give once-a-month, please think of me next time. To your success, Sean and the Catapult Team.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:10:42 +0000