Opinion: Four-to-one rule puts focus on client

If you’re like most folks or companies, the answer is an unequivocal and unfortunate, “Yes!”

Now, I’m a big fan of big ego, but not when it gets in the way of results.

Here’s a simple test:

Scrutinize your marketing materials (i.e., brochures, letters, etc.) with a red pen. Every time you use the words I, me, my, mine, or your company’s name, circle it.

Every time you use the words you, your, the client’s or prospect’s name or their company name, underline it.

Now, count them up. How many circles? How many underlines?

If the “you” words don’t outnumber the “I” words by at least 4-to-1, you’re spending way too much time focused on the wrong person.

As you know, folks are more interested in their story than your story. Don’t tell them how great you are. Tell them how great you’ll make them. Develop and maintain a “you” focus vs. an “I” focus.

This subtle change in your writing style will have a dramatic impact on the tone and impact of your words and results. By the way, the principles of The Rule of 4-to-1 also apply to oral communication.

Here’s more proof. When you look at a long list of names, whose name do you find first? Yours, of course. When you look at a picture with lots of people, whose face do you search for first? Of course, yours.

It’s always more “visually appealing” to your reader/viewer, to see stuff that highlights them. Their eye naturally gravitates to their self-interest. It’s not selfish. It’s just factual. It’s human nature. And that’s OK. The key is to know that and capitalize on it.

This message was reinforced in an unlikely setting.

Every three to four weeks, I see Vicki Jones for her expertise. Vicki is a smart woman. She’s not a consultant, but she ought to be. She’s not a therapist, but she could be. Actually, Vicki is an extremely busy and successful hairstylist.

A primary reason for her success is her focus on and commitment to her customers. For example, at Vicki’s station, her mirror is not adorned with or cluttered by pictures of her family and pets, or notes reminding her to pick up a gallon of milk. Instead, the only thing you see in Vicki’s mirror is your reflection.

Vicki told me this was a strategic decision. “The highlight and focus must always be on the customer sitting in the chair,” she said, “not the beautician or stylist who is standing behind it.”

Bonus points and winning ways

1. Avoid business boredom. Don’t sign letters with the standard, traditional yawners like: Sincerely, Cordially, or Very truly yours.

For example, my letters are signed “Creatively yours,” and my dad, who is a tax attorney, signs his letters “Tax-savingly yours.” I know a loan officer in Dallas who signs “Your Texas Loan Star.”

2. Use a P.S. and even a P.P.S. People often read this information first, so use it as a call to action. It commits either you, your client or prospect to a deliverable, i.e., “I’ll call you on April 25th at 9:45 a.m., to strategize on the next step.”

3. Write a note or a key point in the margin. This helps personalize your correspondence with an informal or folksy reference and it can also highlight an important passage.

4. Make it a page-turner. In a multipage letter, don’t complete a key thought on a page, instead stop mid-sentence, requiring the reader to flip to the next page. This creates momentum and progress-in-print.

5. Forget the one-page myth. Don’t feel obligated to get lots of information on a single page, because the theory that people won’t read longer content is absurd. Also, a crowded page with lots of text is claustrophobic; it confuses and tires the eye. Instead, give one’s eyes the opportunity to dance across the page with space and room to move (white space conveys quality).

Remember, you’re communicating with folks about their favorite topic: themselves. Therefore, they’ll gobble up a story, narrative, or advice that’s in their best interest and that they value.

Be distinctive. Be unique. Focus on creativity, not conformity.

Jeff Blackman is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer based in Illinois. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.”