Great Expectations: What Buyers Want from Service Providers

An age-old "chicken or the egg" question in thought leadership is, "What is more important: great ideas or compelling communication style?" My vote: style if you want to get noticed, big ideas if you want to get the client. It's kind of like volleyball, where one person (style) sets it up and another (content) spikes the ball over the net.

Why do we need both? Because attention is visceral. You can widely distribute the best insights in the world, but if people won't listen to you, then a less intelligent, but more noticeable expert will get the attention and then get the sale. A distinctive style cuts through the clutter and builds a following.

Many of us know this and have become more eloquent. We've become so articulate, in fact, that we all sound like one another. As a result, we all appear nondescript, regardless of how polished we sound.

This two-part article explores how to turn your learned communication skills into a unique voice that buyers can't get enough of. In part one, I set the baseline with these three things bombarded buyers assume we all have. From a style standpoint, these items are no longer a differentiator; they are expected from any content provider.