The classic movie Jerry McGuire got me thinking about selling a service and I’m writing a 4-part blog post about it.

B2B service companies buy ads, sponsor events, network in chosen sectors, and develop their own programming to bring clients together.  B2C companies buy ads and promote with their websites.  These are all logical tactics – and they are what everyone does.  Differentiating is the key to selling a service, and I think Jerry McGuire demonstrates how to break away and succeed at differentiating.  Here are the 4 Secrets:

#1 “It’s a Mission Statement.” (see post)

#2 “Show me the money.” (see post)

#3 “Help me help you.”

The famous line spoken by Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) – she’d never lost her love or faith, even for a flawed Jerry McGuire. Be your client’s biggest fan.  Promote them in social media, work hard for them, bring your best ideas and most importantly, do for them what you’d do for yourself knowing what you know.  When they need something, or when you have a new product or service that you know is just what they need, they’ll listen.  They’ll trust you are on their side.  You’ll have them at hello.

SECRETS CONCLUSION:  These 4 secrets are really hard to scale, which is why we need to decide who are our BEST clients and focus on them.  When I focus these secrets on my best clients – it’s fun, not work – and when I compromise away from my BEST clients – wow, this level of attention feels like WORK – that’s how I know.  The movie conclusion shows a top player attracted to Jerry McGuire – and we all know that his company will thrive.

The classic movie Jerry McGuire got me thinking about selling a service and I’m writing a 4-part blog post about it.

B2B service companies buy ads, sponsor events, network in chosen sectors, and develop their own programming to bring clients together.  B2C companies buy ads and promote with their websites.  These are all logical tactics – and they are what everyone does.  Differentiating is the key to selling a service, and I think Jerry McGuire demonstrates how to break away and succeed at differentiating.  Here are the 4 Secrets:

#1 “It’s a Mission Statement.” (see post)

#2 “Show me the money.” (see post)

As Donald Miller says in his famous book, Building a Storybrand, effective marketing and positioning requires that the customer is the hero of their story and the seller is the expert guide.  What do most companies do?  The OPPOSITE: most begin sentences with WE.  We do this, we do that.  We are great because.  Most service companies – companies that should be about the client, make the same mistake of talking about themselves:  “We are big enough to… and small enough to…” or “Our people have a combined ## years of award-winning experience…” or “We are focused on our clients’ goals,” or “We are focused on relationships,” or, “Our people make us different.”

In the famous quote Jerry McGuire was emphatic about making Rod Tidwell the hero in his story.  That’s what customers want.

Coming up next…

#4 “You had me at hello.”