In Episode 36 of The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast, I shared a few insights from one of my mentors-from-afar: Steven Pressfield.
His book The War of Art has been a reference guide for me throughout my sales career—which is why we recently shipped 100 copies as our Sales Fundamentals Workshop book of the quarter.
If The War of Art is about mindset, another Pressfield book is far more tactical for LBM sales pros trying to earn attention:
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t.
Helluva title, right?
The subtitle brings it home: Why that is and what you can do about it.
Pressfield’s writing career began in advertising.
Here’s what he wrote about it:
The first thing you learn in advertising is that no one wants to read your sh*t. Your ads, I mean.
Sight unseen, they hate what you’ve written. Why? Because they might actually have to read it.
Nobody wants to read anything . . .
It isn’t that people are mean or cruel. They’re just busy.
Nobody wants to read your sh*t.
What’s the answer?
- Streamline your message. Focus it and pare it down to its simplest, clearest, easiest-to-understand form.
- Make its expression fun. Or sexy or interesting or scary or informative. Make it so compelling that a person would have to be crazy NOT to read it.
- Apply that to all forms of writing or art or commerce.
When you understand that nobody wants to read your sh*t, your mind becomes powerfully concentrated. You begin to understand that writing/reading is, above all, a transaction. The reader donates his time and attention, which are supremely valuable commodities. In return, you the writer must give him something worthy of his gift to you.
Is this interesting? Is it fun or challenging? Am I giving the reader enough? Is she bored? Is she following where I want to lead her?
As someone who writes with the hope that people I care about will give it their time, this certainly resonates with me.
But this extends beyond writing.
It’s selling.
Every day, we’re trying to break through the same reflexive defenses of overworked and distracted buyers:
Not a priority right now.
No thanks, don’t have time.
Happy with my current provider.
Just email it over.
Those responses aren’t personal.
They’re the prospect’s version of: Nobody wants to read your sh*t.
So, is what you’re saying compelling enough to break through?
And for sales leaders: Are you expecting each salesperson to figure this out on their own? Or are you training them to communicate in a way that’s actually worth someone’s attention?
The Puppy Problem
My team and I faced this challenge recently.
We were brainstorming for an ad in LBM Journal about our 12-month time management system: The Weekly Game Plan.
“Two things to keep in mind,” I reminded my team—and myself. “One, time management is critical for high performing sales pros, but it’s really boring. Two, nobody wants to read our sh*t.”
I scoured old Nike ads from the ’80s for inspiration.
Three weeks later, I was hating myself.
Everything I had written was so boring.
Improve your productivity.
Get more organized.
Maximize your day.
Nobody would want to read this sh*t.
Then I tripped across a line in Rory Sutherland’s book Alchemy: “What is the single most important finding of the advertising industry? Perhaps it is that advertisements featuring cute animals tend to be more successful than ads that don’t.”
Ten minutes later, here’s what we had:
NOT ALL DISTRACTIONS LOOK LIKE THIS.
A puppy.
A punchline.
A little surprise.
The copy underneath says:
Most salespeople never master their time. Managers just shrug and say, “Well, find something that works for you.” And most reps never do. That’s why we built The Weekly Game Plan.
Not a hack.
Not a theory.
It’s a 12-month system.
One: A physical planner designed specifically for LBM sales pros.
Two: A short online training course that makes it simple to implement.
Three: Every 60 days, Bradley Hartmann leads live coaching with a community of LBM sales pros facing the same battles you are.
It’s $497.
And for the close?
If you’re accountable for selling millions and won’t invest $497 to take control of your time…
Fine.
Stay distracted.
The puppy will keep you company while your competitors steal your accounts.
Was it successful?
I don’t know.
You tell me.
At least we didn’t recycle the same garbage you’ve heard your entire life about time management.
And that’s the point: In advertising—and in sales—the cost of being boring is invisibility.
| There is no finish line. Dan Wieden (the creative mind behind Nike’s advertising) said it best: “If you can’t write something startling, don’t write anything at all.” Sales works the same way. Your prospects are busy. They’re distracted. Overwhelmed. The best salespeople don’t just manage accounts. They manage attention. And the starting line is always the same: Clarity. Discipline. Focus. Time. Nobody wants to read your sh*t. So show up with something worth listening to. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you back here next Thursday. |
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