What is it you do again?

Robert Gerrish Okay, hands up, who knows what 'transformational change' means? Thought so. Not many of you and those who do grasp it are probably in the business anyway.

I don't profess to know exactly what it means, but I suspect it has something to do with changing the way you operate – a kind of business-not-as-usual proposition.

I came across the term most recently emblazoned on a roadside poster between Brisbane Airport and the City. The massive poster read: 'We deliver transformational change' and under the headline was probably the name of the organisation that does just that. Probably. I didn't look.

I was on my way to a conference where I was to be banging on about how to get the attention of Australian small business and my audience were computer hardware vendors, so the sighting was quite timely.

The poster sums up perfectly one of the classic behaviours that marketers (including soloists) make: failure to engage potential customers due to muddled messaging.

We cannot expect our target market to give a damn about who we are and what we do if we don't allow them to comprehend it in the first place.

Imagine if the poster had said something like: 'Change your thinking. Transform your business.' Maybe then I would have taken a split second to see who the advertiser was, rather than being blinded by a big fat question mark in my mind.

As a measure, I reckon that if our key messages are not readily understood by a child of eight, we risk missing a lot of passing traffic. Traffic that doesn't care because we haven't permitted any level of connection.

What say you? Spill the beans below.

Until next week.

Love your work,

Robert Gerrish is Flying Solo’s managing director and founder and works as a business coach, professional speaker, business commentator and consultant. He’s the co-author of Flying Solo – How to go it alone in business.

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I'd have to say I disagree with this one. The fact that you remembered 'transformational change' says something in itself - being 'blinded by a big fat question mark' is actually 'arousing interest' and I bet next time you drive past you would read on and try to answer that question. The line 'Change your thinking. Transform your business.' is relatively standard and would not stand out 'from the clutter' in my books.
Peter from Melbourne
I disagree, Peter. If you're more concerned with 'What the hell is transformational change?' - than with WHO the company are - what's the point?
The NUMBER ONE mistake people make in their advertising is well outlined by this example - telling people 'what you do' as opposed to 'how you can help them'. No one wants your product. Or your service. They want a solution to their problem.
I don't care if this company DO deliver transformational change - what I want to know is ... what does that mean to ME and MY business.
Stop telling people what you do ... start putting yourself in their shoes ... and asking "Why should I care?" - you'd be amazed at the difference this will make to the effectiveness of your advertising. Leela Cosgrove - www.leelacosgrove.com from Melbourne
It could be appealing to a specialised market, using the jargon can help this - even if it does alienate those not in the niche. Evan Hadkins from Sydney, Australia
The point simply comes back to "who is your target market AND what is their language?"
Do that and the rest will fall into place. (Easier said than done, I admit) but the language we use must speak to the prospect / client in their terms. "Transformational change" may work with the target market but that market may not be small business.
So maybe I'm being a bit "political" here but as someone said to me earlier this year: "One size fits no-one." Bill James-Wallace from Perth
"As a measure, I reckon that if our key messages are not readily understood by a child of eight, we risk missing a lot of passing traffic."
This is the only point I truly understood or could be bothered trying to understand.
Most people these days just don't have the time to "get" subtle messages. Brad from South Australia
I'm a copywriter who strives for plain English in all communication and the term 'transformational change' may be appropriate for a niche market, but advertising this on a roadside poster is a waste of money as you are only attracting people who already know what it means. If you were trying to increase your business, then you have failed to communicate with a wider audience. It's a bit like calling a shelf stacker a 'commodity replenishment controller'. It might sound fancy, but the job is still stacking shelves. If you have to explain, your communication has failed. Barb Clews from Leschenault Western Australia | Read my articles

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