Hello and my apologies for the somewhat shocking headline.

Let me begin by qualifying my statement: I’m sure your loved ones do care about you enormously.

My point is: your customers and your clients do not.

What provoked this post—and how does it apply to you?

I went in to work this past week with a client who had spent an enormous amount of time and effort writing a speech about, well, herself: her journey to success, the life lessons she encountered, etc.

I understand there is a school of thought that espouses this idea. I do not.

I had to tell her, flat, “Nobody cares about your story.”

Why? Because no matter how inspirational your story may be, you need to have to have a practical application element to it.

You need to tell me exactly why and how it is going to make MY life better.

My thought is: people need takeaways they can use—preferably, today.
So as you sit down to begin writing your speech, or your pitch, or your resume, ask yourself: “Why—and how—will this (or I) improve the life of the people to whom I’m presenting?”

If you’re selling a product or service, what are the benefits? Because unless you are talking to peers—or your loved ones– your listener doesn’t care about the creation journey of whatever it is you’re selling.

Because while you may, indeed, have scaled a personal Mount Everest to bring your idea, product, or service to the market, the primary thing your client or customer is thinking about right now is,

“What’s in it for me?”

Frances Cole Jones