How to be 10X more persuasive
Has this ever happened to you: You created a new and exciting concept for a TV spot. Your whole creative team thought it’s the best thing in the world, that it was going to sell products and win awards! You did it again!
…Then came the push back. Some folks in the business team started to question the idea. Your concept was located in Egypt and involved the pyramids. Your colleagues argued that the pyramids were “nice to have”—not essential for the spot: “This location is too expensive. Could we replace the location with something more accessible?”
Your gut says Egypt is essential, but how do you persuade the rest of the stakeholders? Let’s look at how you can persuade your team and clients that your ideas are valid ( or more valid than someone else’s):
According to Aristotle, 3 elements work together to make you persuasive: ethos (you), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logic).
Aristotle, Philsosopher. Tutor to Alexander the Great.
You are trustworthy, your teammates are impressed with your previous work. You have ethos. You pitched your heart out, which gives you pathos. To fully have logos, you’ll need to get data to back up your arguments:
- Think about what data the business team will need to support you. For example, “Would the spot with Egypt and the pyramids score significantly higher in likelihood to purchase compared to a generic location?”
- Design and execute a research project to address the questions above. You can see how it’s done here
- Integrate the new data/insights to your pitch to make it 10X more persuasive. For example: “85% of respondents said they are more likely to purchase our product after watching the ad with the Pyramid spot, versus 65% with the Generic spot. That’s 20% difference, and it could translate to an extra $50M in sales.” is much more powerful than “I feel like it would increase sales.”
Do you have an amazing concept that you need to pitch? Spot Trender is a full-service ad testing company – we help our clients test their concepts/storyboards all the way to post-produced spots. Contact us now, we’ll work together to make your pitch 10X more powerful.
