by Tom Marcoux
“You think, well, focusing is saying yes. No, focusing is about saying no. ... I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”– Steve Jobs
“You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.” – Steve Jobs
At times, I invite a client to look at the whole industry. I ask, “Can you up-level this?” By this I mean, can your original idea transform to a higher level of service?
You can stop on a dime and adapt. In doing this, you can empower and uplift your heart.
Power Principle: Use the 3 R’s of Empowering Your Heart.
Power questions: Can you up-level what service/product your company delivers? Can you up-level your ideas? Will you quiet down fear that one datapoint may intensify? What are your other options?
Section Ten
How can I stay strong and keep going forward in the face of Rejection Trouble?
Countermeasure: Examine the responses you get, change your language and reduce the number of No’s you receive.
When I speak on “Secrets for Your Courage and Freedom from Rejection Trouble,” I share strategies to empower the audience to stay strong in the face of rejection.
Many times, when something seems like a rejection, it’s actually the person melting down next to you. This happens a lot in life because we’re all impacted with too much to do. I don’t call this rejection; I rename it as “no match.”
When I say freedom from rejection trouble, I don’t mean that you’re going to reframe everything as not being rejection. You can be going through a tough time when you’re not getting a number of Yes’s.
In this section, we cover ways to reduce the number of No’s.
Rejection trouble is really when rejection can paralyze you.
Instead, we’ll use the R.E.F. process. Basically, you are the referee—the one who calls something “in” or “out.” You make the distinctions that can empower you.
R - reframe to “no match” and “Next!”
E - examine, predict, reduce No’s
F - focus
Reframe to “no match” and “Next!”
I’ve encouraged my clients and audiences with a certain phrase:
If you have one and you lose one, it’s a tragedy.
If you have 20 and you lose one, it’s just a step.
By this I mean, if you have 20 prospective investors, and you lose one of them, you don’t melt down.
Realize that even some of the most likely investors will not invest for their reasons. And, these reasons can be arbitrary or even temporary.
Earlier I mentioned that a person may not be rejecting you or your startup business. That person may be melting down next to you. How are they melting? Perhaps, they’re going through a divorce, or their daughter is dealing with teenage-pregnancy, or they have a cold.
So that was not a rejection, that was “no match.” (At least, it was a “no match” at the time.)
Still, realize that some people will simply not invest … ever. See the signs and move on. How? Tell yourself, “Next!”—encouraging yourself to find other prospective investors.
Examine, predict, reduce “No’s”
During my workshop, Convince Investors to Fund You, I reveal that investors often say, “Where’s your traction?” They’re looking for positive answers to questions like:
What have you proved?
Do people actually want this thing you’re talking about?
Have you tested it?
Has there been a focus group?
Is there any data that backs up that what you’re doing is viable now?
If you keep getting the same question as “what’s your traction”, you must examine it. You can predict how you will answer it. After you have watched people’s responses to your answer, you can predict, to some degree, what works.
This helps you reduce the number of No’s you face.
Reducing the number of No’s helps you get more Yeses.
And this strengthens you to face the next round of No’s.
You want to augment everything that works towards the Yes, and you want to eliminate the distractions that create “no.”
As you examine what is working or not working for your pitch, realize that you need to get an Immediate Yes response inside the investor.
What does that mean? It means, at least subconsciously, the investor is thinking: “Hmm. Looks interesting. This person seems reliable. I’ll listen—at least for the next 10 minutes.”
Why do you need that Immediate Yes response? Researchers have noticed something called “thin slicing”—that’s when someone makes a quick decision based on a thin bit of information. They decide quickly in terms of: “Am I in or am I out?”
You want to make sure that you begin a pitch with material that guides the investor to the Immediate Yes. They will keep watching to see if something changes their mind and their immediate assessment. Make sure you remove distractions that can turn the Yes-assessment into a No.
Keep examining the responses you get and keep refining your material.
Focus
In speeches and with clients, I frequently talk about The Power of Three.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed because you’re focused on having 20 prospects, you can use the Power of Three. How? Focus on the Top Three Most Likely People to invest in your startup business.
I ask my clients, “Who are the top three most likely people who will say yes to you?”
Focus is essential.
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. – Steve Jobs
Additionally, The Power of Three returns us to examine, predict, and reduce No’s.
If you know that investors will raise certain points of concern (objections), you develop three responses to each point. Again, that’s The Power of Three. You’re feeling stronger because you have three answers to a particular point of concern.
By the way, I prefer to say point of concern because if an investor asks you a question it can be great step on the staircase of saying YES to you.
On a daily basis, use The Power of Three to focus on the Top Three Things you need to do today
In summary, use these methods:
R - reframe to “no match” and “Next!”
E - examine, predict, reduce No’s
F - focus
When you use these methods, you will get Yeses, and that will raise your energy. That process will transform the idea of rejection into a quiet voice in the background. And, you will move forward faster.
Power Principle: Examine the responses you get, change your language and reduce the number of No’s you receive.
Power Questions: What is the worst question an investor can ask you? How can you have a strong, credible response to the question, where’s your traction?
Part 2
Overcome the Deadly Mistakes
What stands between you and getting funding? The Deadly Mistakes.
They are the elements of a bad impression. That’s when you’re perceived with a number of these unfortunate characteristics:
Unsure
Unconfident
Ignorant of vital details
Uncoachable
Inflexible
Arrogant
What is the solution?
Drop what I call Default Rehearsal and replace it with Directed Rehearsal.
Default Rehearsal is the ineffective automatic practice that includes rumination, practicing wrong actions, and fretting about potential future missteps and bad consequences.
Directed Rehearsal is work you do with a coach, so you are adept with flowing with difficulties in the moment. You practice Recovery Methods, so you handle your mind going blank—while you mainta
in poise and confidence.
Where does real confidence come from? Evidence. I have a term I share with clients and audiences: Behavior Change through Incremental Evidence. By this I mean, you have kept a Progress Log of all your rehearsals, so you know you are making real progress in being fully prepared to excel during your pitch.
Here I’ll go into brief material about how to deal with the Deadly Mistakes:
Unsure
Rehearse your 3 responses for each of 10 Worst Questions.
Unconfident
Practice powerful body language. Walk toward the question (and the investor) and say, “I see how important that is to you.”
Ignorant of vital details
Study some material about your industry and the startup fundraising process every day. Work with knowledgeable and skilled mentors. Hire an Executive Coach. (You can reach me through GetTheBigYES.com)
Uncoachable
Rehearse a personal story that reveals how you took the advice of a mentor and gained excellent results.
Inflexible
Rehearse a story that demonstrates how you were flexible and responsive to a tough situation—and gained a triumphant result.
Arrogant
Be sure to share stories that demonstrate how you are coachable and flexible. Realize that people cannot trust someone who never admits a mistake. Their impression is that the person cannot grow and improve because they cannot see shortcomings—and areas that need improvement.
Demonstrate how you have identified areas to improve and how your purposely sought coaching to increase your skills.
Power Principle: Devote conscious and deliberate action to overcome the Deadly Mistakes.
Power Questions: As you read the above Deadly Mistakes, what resonated with you? In what areas do you need to get coaching, so you’re stronger and more skilled?
Reminder:
Get Access to Free Videos to Take Your Skills to a Higher Level
Go to GetTheBigYES.com/YourAdvantage
Part 3
The C.O.M.P.E.L. process of
Compelling Brand Innovation
“So, you’re going to tell me what works to get investors to fund my startup business,” Amy, a new client, asked.
“Together, we’re going to uncover what works for you,” I replied, serving in my roles as Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach.
Over a span of years, I developed a system that I call Compelling Brand Innovation.
While working with a client, I ask the right questions and provide the empowering direction (like directing a stage or film performance). My process includes what I call Directed Rehearsal—which I discuss in several sections in this book.
For decades, I have pulled the Best Performance out of CEOs, podcast hosts, actors, speakers, small business leaders and more.
Compelling Brand Innovation is a process of digging to find what’s in the heart of the client. We discover how best to use the client’s “instrument” (voice, body language, word choice, values, goals, Natural Charm Charisma and Warm Trust Charisma). It’s a process of discovery and revelation.
Here, we’ll discuss the C.O.M.P.E.L. process:
C – conquer the noise
O – open the imagination
P – pinpoint with Engaging Language
E – engage innovation
L – light up a question
Conquer the noise
Your Compelling Brand cuts through the noise.
What noise? More than 5,000 ads per day (the number 5,000 was noted back in 2007, by the marketing firm Yankelovich, Inc.). Many researchers suggest we’re inundated with more advertising messages now.
With so much noise, some researchers suggest that our default status is distracted. So many individuals complain that people, on social media, jump to conclusions. One of my friends writes a lot of commentary in social media. When someone pushes back, he’ll write “Did you read my whole post?”
The truth is: Many of us do not read the whole post. Or if we make such an attempt, we’re still facing distraction in our own thoughts.
So, what is the solution? Use Engaging Language. That’s language that seizes attention and moves emotions.
As I address an audience, I often say, “I can move your thoughts and feelings with just two words.”
Then I pause. Finally, I say, “Best friend.”
If you have a good relationship at this moment with a best friend, you might feel a warm, full feeling in your heart area.
If a friend betrayed you, you might feel something else. If you don’t feel you have a best friend—a chasm of loneliness may open.
Catch that word choice of chasm of loneliness? It’s evocative.
Word choice is also vital in terms of grabbing feelings as opposed to just conveying an intellectual idea. Note the difference in feeling that words evoke: “gave it another attempt” versus “risked everything in one last try.”
Sometimes, words come with so much baggage that it’s best that we don’t use those certain words. We do better to revise our phrases.
Remember your compelling brand cuts through the noise. With so much competition for any part of the mindshare of the consumer or potential high-level colleagues or investors, you need to express the most compelling elements of your brand in a brief manner. Here’s an example. On my business card, I use just four words to describe a strong element of what I do: “Right Words ==> More Clients.”
Now I invite you to answer this question for yourself: How can you design what you say to be brief and compelling?
Open the imagination
You can access the imagination with an image, an idea or words. Here are five words that can lead you to a real feeling: most important person to you. That phrase might bring up the face of your romantic partner.
Sometimes, we use a question to get access to someone’s imagination. When addressing a class of MBA students, I pointed out the difference between saying, “Women live longer than men” versus “Why do women live longer than men?”
When working with a client, I share this phrase: “Image –Question – Story.”
Here’s an example of an image (as revealed by few words): “Rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.” This is the epitome of a useless effort.
Here are possible questions:
How would your life be if you could get_____ out of the way?
If you were able to double your sales in 27 days, how much better would your life be? How would that feel?
Imagine hearing a brief story:
“It’s 10:15—on Monday night. Sarah closes the front door behind her. She hears a strange and bad sound from the living room. Her heart pounds in her chest. Could this be the horrible—”.
A brief story does capture attention—yes?
Pinpoint with Engaging Language.
The best brand names don't describe. They stand for a big idea--[one] that translates into emotional appeal. Nike is about winning. GoPro is about heroism. Apple is about simplicity and usability.
– Jonathan Bell
Okay, just a moment. Some people in my circle would say Apple is about cool gear that makes life so much better. And by the way, you look cool and sophisticated using Apple products. You’re in the Apple circle.
My point here is that we want to choose our words carefully.
Make sure your words are evocative.
Provoke emotion.
How’s that for two powerful words?
Unfortunately, I have seen rough drafts (pitches/slide decks) from highly intelligent clients that overemphasize merely logic, graphs, and a cerebral approach.
On the other hand, I guide my clients through the next iterations.
I ask questions including:
What are the Best Results Your Clients (Investors) Want?
What big benefit will your client enjoy when they use ____?
What do they want to feel?
Clients can answer that the client (or investor) wants to feel …
<
br /> Smart
Better than others
Safe
Special—as part of an elite group
In speeches and workshops, I use Engaging Language.
When it comes to Engaging Language, I emphasize three things:
a) Guide the audience’s thoughts
As the Spoken Word Strategist, I use my over two decades of experience in giving speeches to audiences. In my speeches, I carefully observe the facial expressions and body language of audience members. I note what they respond to.
I even lead the audience to think different thoughts when I say: “Oh, I see many of you nodding. I see you’re right with me.”
b) Repeat the Detail 3 Times
If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time—a tremendous whack.
– Winston Churchill
The powerful use of Engaging Language is when you identify something that’s most important and you repeat it three times. Repeating something three times is a pattern I learned in screenwriting. When you want the audience to remember something, repeat the detail three times.