The 4 Steps to Get What You Want…In Less Than 30 Seconds

A friend of mine, a buyer for a major bookstore chain, told me that when book sales reps come into her office, the rep has around thirty seconds per title to sell her a book title. First, as a writer, that’s frightening, but I started thinking about that. Thirty seconds. But isn’t that the case with a lot of things? First dates, business introductions, school presentations, speeches, emails to someone from whom you want something, writing a blog. When you think about it, the first thirty seconds, if you want to sell something, maybe your book, are crucial. If you don’t get your audience or buyer in that time frame, you’ve possibly lost them, if not made it more difficult for yourself ever to recover. However, mastering this 30-second pitch can open doors, secure deals, and win over audiences, making it a skill worth mastering.

So, how would you sell a book or yourself in thirty seconds? Or a speech or a request? That requires some thinking. I’m even thinking about this blog. Did I hit a selling point for you to read it in the first thirty seconds, the first paragraph? If I did, I will share how I did it. But you must keep reading. While the execution may take thirty seconds, the explanation will take a wee bit longer.

The first thing you do is to start out with what your interest is all about, the most important thing, the subject even, in this case, the need to sell in thirty seconds. I told you right up front what it was. Hopefully, I got your interest, and we started this communication on the same page. Second, I made it personal for you: you need to know how to do it because if you don’t get someone’s attention in thirty seconds, you might not be able to sell your book, sell something else, or even get someone to listen or help you out. And then, last of all, I told you the consequences: if you don’t make the sale in thirty seconds, the buyer moves on, whoever the “buyer” might be. Then I gave examples of how this works across the board in other areas distinct from selling a book, maybe a first date. Perhaps not in that order, but you got all that information in the first paragraph to help you decide whether you wished to read more. What happens in the following paragraphs from this introductory engagement is the explanation of what I onboarded you with in the first paragraph.

There's another approach to this. From the first paragraph, do you understand the goal? Yes, I believe you do. Did I outline the problem as I went along? I think you see the problem; you lost the sale or never got that second date. But did I leave you hanging? No. As I moved along, I offered you a solution. Do these things in the first thirty seconds to hook your listener or reader. Want more specifics? That’s where we would go from here. That’s when the listener has an interest based upon those first items you included in the first thirty seconds. Maybe the book buyer wants to ask a question. Maybe the date tilts her head, and you know she finds you interesting. Now is the time to start digging into the subject, which might be more about your book or more about you but based upon inquiries and questions from the other person. In other words, you laid it out, and now you answer questions. But what you didn’t do was hit the person with all that info dump at the start. Instead, you gave the subject, the issue, and the solution. All succinct. Either the person is interested or not. Either they can help or not. Either they have time to help or not. But because of how you laid it out, I think they will be curious for more. And the “more” falls in their department, not yours. Make sure they become the ones asking the questions, not you being the one who is giving all the unsolicited answers. Here’s an example.

I’m busy with a writing deadline. I’ve got a writer friend who asks if she can ask me a question. Sure. I have time for a question. What she wants to know, though, is “how do I get published?” That’s not a “yes” or “no” or quick answer question. I let her know that I’m up against a deadline, let’s talk about it later. She pressures. She wants her answer because it is emotionally important to her now, but I don’t have the personal investment now to give it to her. The conversation gets tense, she doesn’t get what she wants, I feel frustrated because now I’m out of my zone on my own project, she’s frustrated because I’m a horrible friend and won’t help her out. This is a trainwreck. I find myself avoiding her in the future until my deadlines get done.

What went wrong? She did not correctly gauge the audience. Remember the required question(s) I said that should be coming from the person you were talking with? I never asked it. It was almost a bait-and-switch on her part. She had me on the “I have a question,” but she didn’t have me on the time commitment or the mental focus I needed to give to help her get what she needed. I might be willing, but I wasn’t able. (I really lost it when she said could I maybe take the afternoon and read her manuscript and tell her what was wrong.) She had her thirty seconds, and she lost it. It would have been much better from the start if she had said, “I want to get published and I’m having trouble. I really don’t think I know what I’m doing or if something is wrong with my manuscript. With your experience in the industry and the people you know, I think you could probably give me some advice.” I just read this aloud and timed it: 13:02 seconds. About the time it takes to read a social media post, get the jest of an email, read the first part of the book jacket to see if we want to read more, hear a pitch from a sales rep. And now that leaves 16:58 seconds for the other person to respond as to whether they have the time to talk, are the right person to talk with, or have any interest in continuing the discussion. Thirty seconds. That’s all anyone today is going to give you. My response because I now know what she wants, what she views as the problem, and what she thinks the solution might be is easily, could have been, “Let’s go have a cup of coffee,” “I’d be glad to help, but right now is not the best time,” or even immediate gratification of “Sure, let’s talk about it. Let me ask you a few questions about what you’ve been doing up to this point.”

I’ve since talked with my writer friend and given her some advice, but that is not the point. I spoke with her because she’s a friend; I care. Let’s be straightforward, though, most people are busy, they have things on their minds, they have their own problems and self-interests, and they don’t care. That’s why you wait for their questions. If you let them lead, then they will be more apt to be engaged with you. If you lead, they are more apt to feel trapped. How do you get around it? Sell that book, or yourself, in those first thirty seconds (or less) and get them to start asking questions. Don’t force your topic on them; invite them into your topic and let them take the lead.

Sales, marketing, communication, and problem-solving are all two-way streets. Everyone must understand the problem, the goal, and what you think the solution is (that is coming from you). Both of you must have the time, be receptive, and be the right two people to have this conversation. All this puts everyone on the same page and even in the same paragraph immediately.

Using these techniques makes you efficient, focused, effective, and understood. No matter if you are chatting with your spouse about reseeding the yard, sending an email to someone you want to interview, beginning a sales presentation, or telling someone about your book or manuscript in hopes that they will make a buy, stick with these four things in the first thirty seconds: tell people what you want, give them your thoughts on what you think the problem might be, offer a solution with the caveat of either this is something that really needs to be done or this is your suggestion, and then give them 15 seconds to respond as to whether they are the right person to do this, or that they can do this now, or they need to talk with you later. Thinking about these four steps will change your communication and your effectiveness. Try it for the next few days and see if it doesn’t make a difference in helping you get what you want in a more efficient and effective manner.