Is your marketing message and sales information clear to your team? Do you have multiple flow charts and decision trees all written in Time New Roman 6 pt font? If so – time to break out the “Big Crayons!”

Though many kindergartens are no longer using the large-sized crayons, hopefully you have seen them in action or personally used them. They still sell them and encourage you to try the exercise we will describe. One positive outcome of using the Big Crayons is it taught one to use very few words to get a message across. Otherwise it wouldn’t fit on the paper or you would see the writing get smaller and smaller and take odd shapes. Now the concept of using the Big Crayons is born.

If you ever purchased a product from Ikea that needed assembly – how many words do you see on the assembly instructions? Usually zero and a few pictures. With sales and marketing, we may not get to zero – but what if you used a large crayon to write the key information on an 8.5″x11″ piece of paper? Rather than trying to use ultra-fine point Sharpie – a Big Crayon will force one into using fewer words and maybe a picture. This concept becomes even more important the wider and diverse your sales or service portfolio. Equip your front-line sales team with information to enable them to understand the value proposition and key words to listen for to see if there may be a match with the prospect. You can always bring in a specialist for the deeper knowledge as needed – but first – get the prospect interested and excited about a follow-on conversation.

Three steps to breaking out the Big Crayons:

1)    Buy the Big Crayons – The big crayons are still sold or as a substitute an extra wide marker will also work. If you want to do this digitally – try a 48 pt font. Crayon is preferred – it makes this more fun.

2)    Write – Try to use the fewest number of words and add a picture to get the core concept across. Resist the temptation to keep going small or use multiple pages. Once you think it is as simple as possible. Let it sit for a day and then simply further.

3)    Test – Test with a member of your sales team that may be struggling. Can they explain and ask the right questions with a prospect to understand if your product or service may be a fit? If not – go back to step 2.

Think through

I found this quote and could not say it better myself:

“The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit.” — François Fénelon, writer and theologian.

It isn’t easy to simplify a message. It also reminds me of a saying attributed to Mark Twain “If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today.  If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.” Spend the time to simplify. You will see a positive return on your investment.

Tell me about your using “Big Crayons.” Small business – keep coloring outside the lines and your business growing!

 

Small Business

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About the Author:

Gregory Woloszczuk is an entrepreneur and experienced tech executive that helps small business owners grow their top and bottom line. Gregory believes in straight talk and helping others see things they need to see but may not want to with a focus on taking responsibly for one’s own business. He and his wife, Maureen, started GMW Carolina in 2006.

Related Stories
‹
Small Business, Big Lessons® - Celebrating 3 Years!
Time flies when you are having fun. It is hard to believe the Small Business, Big Lessons column is celebrating 3 years. This week will be a walk down memory lane and how it started. Our business had been advertising for years with WCHL and Chapelboro.com. I’ve had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ron […]
Small Business, Big Lessons® - Measure Twice, Cut Once
Ever hear the saying “measure twice and cut once?” It is what carpenters live by. It means taking the time to ensure your accuracy before cutting a piece of wood. There’s nothing worse than needing to go back to the lumber yard to finish a job or try to make something fit – especially if […]
Small Business, Big Lessons® - Local Spotlight on Fitness
Among the businesses hit hardest by Covid-19 is the fitness industry. I had the opportunity to interview local business owner, Dana Harshaw. Dana owns and operates Barre3 (pronounced bar three) in Chapel Hill. She is the local owner within a franchise system of over 140 locations. We spoke about the challenges, opportunities and concerns owning and […]
Small Business, Big Lessons ®: How to Apply 60/30/10
Most people have heard of 80/20. Such as 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. The concept of 60/30/10 is how one can allocate investments including time. Too many times if you ask anyone – what does a day in the life look like – it will turn into a laundry list […]
Small Business, Big Lessons®: Three Things Big Government Can Learn from Small Business
With the continuing COVID-19 challenges, small businesses must continue to innovate to survive. Given limited resources, small businesses are forced to stay engaged and make difficult tradeoffs. What if elected leaders applied some small business foundational rules to government functions? Let’s look at three areas: budgeting, leadership, and urgency. 1) Budgeting – Wouldn’t it be great […]
Small Business, Big Lessons®: Time for a New Plan
With many capacity restrictions on business, it is a requirement for survival to revisit your original business assumptions. What is in the well overused terminology the “new normal” for your business?  It may be necessary to start with a blank page. Let’s looks at core assumptions and how to move forward or maybe not… 1)    Back […]
Small Business, Big Lessons®:Ready to Reopen - Safely - COVID-19 edition
As many States enter Phase One of reopening local businesses, employee and customer safety remain a top priority. Additionally, keeping the business financially afloat is right behind that. If not careful, what sounds good on the surface, PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans could tank your business. 1)    Safety – A few resources for reopening are the CDC, FDA, and OSHA. […]
Small Business, Big Lessons™: Resources to Combat COVID-19
This week on Small Business, Big Lessons™ — Resources for Small Business, COVID-19 edition. The first option? Small Business Administration Disaster Relief Loans The US Small Business Administration approved Governor Roy Copper’s request for the loans. Many area businesses may qualify and are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The approval time is projected […]
Small Business, Big Lessons™: Support Local & Shop Small, COVID-19 Edition
I hope everyone is taking the advice to increase social distance seriously. It is sad to see the global impact in lives lost. COVID-19 has changed us forever. Once we get through the health crisis, and I know we will, what will happen to the small businesses and people employed by them? Our economy is […]
Small Business, Big Lessons™: Your Million-Dollar Idea!
Your Million-Dollar Idea! Ever wake up and feel you have the next great thing – but – it will take you 5 years to get off the ground? How do you get funding, pay the bills and keep the lights on today? Let’s take a few lessons from the world of Spirits on cash flow […]
›