My fifth-grade class gets a new assignment. We're to pick a
favorite food, create a report about that food, and convince the rest of
the class to vote it the "best food."
OK cool, I've got this, my favorite food is amazing, so I get to work researching barbecue chicken. Now this was before Google (but yes, we did have running electricity) so research required a visit to the library, the card catalog and Dewey Decimal system (Google it).
I wrote my report with info about ingredients, taste, and cut out pictures from my mother's cooking magazines for use as visual aids (old school clip art). At completion this was a timeless composition extolling the virtues of tender-baked poultry marinated in a savory sauce. I could almost taste the victory.
As the presentations began, I found that many of my peers thought like I did, with magazine clippings and speeches about how great their food is. Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, & mac & cheese were all lauded. I delivered my report as rehearsed, but the thing is, all these similar presentations ran together. Sure, some of my classmates liked barbecue chicken too, but they also liked their other peers' foods (except for that sardine kid).
There was nothing technically wrong with my presentation. I earned a passing grade. But in terms of the competition, no one cared.
The winner? Pizza Kid. Because Pizza Kid thought out of the box. Pizza Kid knew it wasn't enough to just tell his classmates how good pizza is; Pizza Kid proved it. Pizza Kid brought in pizza for the whole class.
> Landslide <
You'd be right in thinking that part of Pizza Kid's victory is owed to the quality of his product. Kid's love pizza. Another student had the idea to bring samples, but feeding fifth graders raw tomato slices just didn't move the needle. But there was another student who also presented about pizza, without samples, and he lost too.
This provides a simple but relevant lesson for business development. You can pay lip service all day, but most of the time you'll just blend in. The real way to win widespread support is by engaging your audience and giving demonstrative proof. Actively engaged audiences produce informed advocates. Informed advocates are your loyal customers, interested prospects, and referral network.
A high-quality product or service combined with engagement and demonstration is pretty damn hard to beat. Just ask Pizza Kid.
OK cool, I've got this, my favorite food is amazing, so I get to work researching barbecue chicken. Now this was before Google (but yes, we did have running electricity) so research required a visit to the library, the card catalog and Dewey Decimal system (Google it).
I wrote my report with info about ingredients, taste, and cut out pictures from my mother's cooking magazines for use as visual aids (old school clip art). At completion this was a timeless composition extolling the virtues of tender-baked poultry marinated in a savory sauce. I could almost taste the victory.
As the presentations began, I found that many of my peers thought like I did, with magazine clippings and speeches about how great their food is. Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, & mac & cheese were all lauded. I delivered my report as rehearsed, but the thing is, all these similar presentations ran together. Sure, some of my classmates liked barbecue chicken too, but they also liked their other peers' foods (except for that sardine kid).
There was nothing technically wrong with my presentation. I earned a passing grade. But in terms of the competition, no one cared.
The winner? Pizza Kid. Because Pizza Kid thought out of the box. Pizza Kid knew it wasn't enough to just tell his classmates how good pizza is; Pizza Kid proved it. Pizza Kid brought in pizza for the whole class.
> Landslide <
You'd be right in thinking that part of Pizza Kid's victory is owed to the quality of his product. Kid's love pizza. Another student had the idea to bring samples, but feeding fifth graders raw tomato slices just didn't move the needle. But there was another student who also presented about pizza, without samples, and he lost too.
This provides a simple but relevant lesson for business development. You can pay lip service all day, but most of the time you'll just blend in. The real way to win widespread support is by engaging your audience and giving demonstrative proof. Actively engaged audiences produce informed advocates. Informed advocates are your loyal customers, interested prospects, and referral network.
A high-quality product or service combined with engagement and demonstration is pretty damn hard to beat. Just ask Pizza Kid.
Looking for ways to create informed advocates? LISTSERV email list software has been helping organizations manage email newsletters, discussion groups, and email marketing campaigns for over 30 years! Visit http://www.lsoft.com and/or contact me directly at jweber@lsoft.com for more information, tips, and resources.
By
Joshua Weber