Power statements are high impact and memorable, and – at their core – simple in their brilliance.
In the past two days, I have come across two wonderful examples of concise statements that have redefined how I view an important aspect of my professional world.
Let’s start with a 19-year-old whose accomplishments at the highest level of professional baseball are stunning. From the intensity Bryce Harper displays on the field to the maturity he demonstrates as a teammate, Harper is one of the reasons why the Washington Nationals lead their division and sport the second best record in the league.
Yet, it was this brilliantly candid and dismissive remark to an irrelevant question from journalist that captures Harper’s leadership attributes and star quality.
During the past 20 years, I have prepared hundreds of executives for media interviews, analyst briefings and presentations. As part of this process, the issue of how to manage a response to an undesirable question is often tops on the agenda.
Never once did I come up with something as compelling as “That’s a clown question, bro.”
While Harper’s sound bite was a nod to my public relations past, SAP chief marketing officer Jonathan Becher’s insight into the alignment of marketing with measurable sales outcomes is very much relevant to my world today.
Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) has transitioned its business during the past five years to focus on the development of socially oriented sales enablement programs for business lines of global brands and fast-growth, mid-market companies. Check out Engage Today, Federal Unified Communications and Decisiv Connect as they are wonderful examples of social media for sales campaigns.
Many corporate marketing and communications teams view social media primarily as a channel to enhance brand awareness and reputation. As such, I’m often challenged with how to articulate what’s truly possible with social media in an articulate manner.
Which brings me to SAP’s Becher and his power statement about social media for sales enablement at a recent conference sponsored by SiriusDecisions.
“Focus on people prospects, not company prospects. Big glass buildings don’t buy software; people do.”
A truly brilliant statement because it is clear, concise and compelling.