What The Overarching Threat Is Not
Here follows a widely shared excerpt from a speech this week by a backbench Westminster MP, Miriam Cates. Denuded (as far as I safely can, given her stance appears "not popular on either the small government right or the culturally radical left"), of political horseshoe setting in order to elevate my subsequent point;
"None of our philosophical musings or proposals will amount to anything long-lasting unless we address the overarching threat to ... the whole of western society.
No, it's not climate change.
It's not Russia or China or Iran.
It's not the neo-Marxist ideology that is seeping through our institutions.
It's not inflation or taxation or poor productivity, no.
There is one critical outcome that liberal individualism has completely failed to deliver."
Slight pregnant pause, before her punchline;
"And that is babies."
Judging by the reaction, certainly an unexpected pay-off that surprised audience, reporters and commentators alike.
My purpose here is not to rehash the debates of population control in context of resource utilisation amid rising utopian world orders.
Phew.
It is though, very much about how you frame an issue.
Specifically for our prospects. Especially ones where you must seek to 'create the need'.
Where their 'problem' is the overarching threat of which they may be blissfully ignorant. Or haven't yet fully grasped its gravity.
In fact, the term 'overarching' is one that suggest a fundamentally. A comprehensive, all-embracing, overall threat. 'Existential', another contemporary fashionable label.
Without getting to grips with it now, our prospects may well find themselves overwhelmed sooner than they realise.
In the classic Hemingway witticism mould;
business calamity happens in two ways, gradually then suddenly.
Where you are convinced that the issue you uniquely resolve remains at present unacknowledged, in the background, at best marked low priority, but you know it can boom to envelop the Enterprise in awfulness, then here's a framing that can get you attention too.
By way of example, deliberately closely following the template above, let me offer a first-run for the endeavour of my present (and deep) focus; to unlock distinctive sales video calls.
None of our philosophical musings or proposals will amount to anything long-lasting unless we address the overarching threat to our selling.
No, it's not AI.
It's not crm or databases or sales apps selection.
It's not the social media ideology that is seeping through our sector.
It's not price pressure or gatekeeping or weakened productivity, no.
There is one critical outcome that the selling profession has completely failed to deliver.
And that is video calls that sell.
Only the very first draft.
There's plenty I haven't fitted in. Such as remote buyers, recruitment & retention, or product development pace.
Nor have I strayed from the phrasing of the politician. Yet.
Particularly but not exclusively pertinent to new product selling, this is definitely worth a shot at in your own arena, and captioning up for your own uses.
If for no other reason than finding the curious. For anyone whose interest is piqued can more easily move in to your top tier of prospects. Imagine too, should someone agree...