So you've got a great innovation on your hands--a new product or service that is going to change everything. Well, soon you'll face your first battle: How to explain the thing. If it's new, it's going to take some explaining, but long explanations make for lousy marketing. So how do you talk about your innovation without killing the excitement?
The first thing you've got to do is anchor in what people already know. So let's say I had to explain Netflix to somebody who'd never heard of it. Well, I could start by saying, Netflix is like Blockbuster. Now at least you're in the right mental space--okay, I get it, it's a movie rental business. But then I can add to it: Netflix is like Blockbuster--but it's by mail. Or it's Blockbuster with no late fees, or Blockbuster that actually has the movies you want in stock.
So Blockbuster is the "anchor" here--it gives you very quick intuition about what Netflix is. As another example, think about the first generation of cars--how are you going to explain a "car" to someone who's never seen one. Well, they were called "horseless carriages." "Carriage" is the anchor--people understood what that was.
A HOW TO IN HELPING SHAPE YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH........ALL YOU NEED IS AN ANCHOR AND A TWIST.......WORTH THE 2 MINUTES YOU WILL INVEST WATCHING..........RICH BENDIS
To read the full, original article click on this link: How to Sell New Innovations Without Killing the Excitement | Switch | Fast Company
Author: Dan Heath
