Easy 1 in 6ers

In the early 90s I read a fascinating book all about how technology products need to alter their selling mindset when trying to break into the mass-market, once enthusiastic first-adopters had already jumped on board.

It’s by Geoffrey A Moore, called Crossing The Chasm.  My attention was drawn to his work by a company owner I once knew who was renowned for unsavoury, sharp practices, havng zero concept of the phrase ‘win-win’, that pronounced the ‘ch’ in chasm, rather than leave the ‘h’ silent.  Clown.

I must do a full review of it sometime, anyway, one main bonus of his theory is that when you are pitching something new, around 1 in 6 of the general population will automatically prick their ears up.

As I’m selling something in this mould, we’ve done some testing in our London boiler room, and it seems to back old Geoffrey up.  When pitching afresh, slotting a couple of these words in can lead to someone saying they’ll see us, without any need for a subsequent telephone objection handling routine:

• Brand New
• Different
• Breakthrough
• Innovative
• Unique
• Original
• Novel
• Ground-breaking
• New Concept
• Revolutionary
• First of its Kind
• Distinctive
• Fresh
• Radical