George helps sales people close big deals. His track record is impressive. On average, he saves them 30 to 40 hours per sales proposal.  His advice also increases their win rate by a wide margin.

George can look at a proposal or presentation in advance and with 100% accuracy tell you whether it will close the deal.

He has a very simple method. He has a computer algorithm which simply counts the number of times they use the word “YOU”. He compares that to the number of times the sales person mentions their own company.

Proposals where the prospect name is mentioned 10 times for every one time the sales person’s company is named (a ratio of 10:1) are a slam dunk and the deal is going to be closed.

Why is that? Is it because people are egotistical and they want it to be all about themselves?

No. It’s because when you are talking about yourself, you’re talking about YOUR purpose. And when you’re talking about them, you’re talking about THEIR purpose.

There is a vast sea of difference separating these two, they are on different shores.

I discovered George’s unique natural talent during a Transforming Your Presentations Skills class last week while I was teaching students about the power of purpose and teaching them to use the word “You” in their presentations.  George raised his hand and said, “I do that!  It really works!”

This is true not only in sales, but in all human communication.

Purpose is THE single most powerful motivating force in human beings. They will walk through fire if their purpose is strong enough. 

Think about your own burning purposes…

Everyone wakes up in the morning yearning for something. If you can help someone reach what they yearn for, you are valuable. They will not only let you into their lives, they will let you into their soul. I know.  I do it every day.

Why should this matter to you?

I’ve critiqued thousands of corporate presentations and communications. Very rarely does the presenter open by talking about the AUDIENCE’S purpose, about what they long for. Very rarely do they mention the word “you”.

When you are giving a presentation and you don’t use the word “you”, the people in your audience can very easily feel “It’s not about me” and then not engage.

The examples below show the exact same opening message changed to directly relate to the audience’s purpose.

Example #1 – Senior VP introducing new Leadership Program

No real purpose:

I’m going to go over our new Leadership Program.

With a purpose that sounds too “corporate”:

My purpose in talking with you today is for every single person in this organization to have a high-quality leader managing them.

With a purpose directly relating to your purpose:

My purpose in talking with you today is this. For as long as you work in my organization, I have a strong purpose to see that YOU have a high-quality leader managing you, and also for EVERY person in our organization to have a high-quality leader managing them. I’d like to show you how our new Leadership Program will make sure that you do.

Example #2 – Introduction at start of New Employee Orientation Program

Uninteresting purpose that’s too “corporate”:

Welcome to New Employee Orientation.  My purpose is to orient you to life at our organization so you know what to expect about working here.

With purpose directly relating to your purpose as a new employee on your first day:

My purpose today is to help you launch that amazing career here that you’ve been dreaming of, and to show you how to start your success, starting with Day 1.

Example #3 – Corporate Attorney talking to you about being out of complianc 

Uninteresting purpose that’s kind of scary:

I’m here to ensure that you are in full compliance with all of the mandatory legal requirements that you are required to follow, and to show you where you need to correct those areas where you are not in compliance.

With purpose directly relating to your purpose:

I’m here to ensure you don’t get tripped up or distracted by tricky compliance issues so you can go full-steam ahead on the important work you’re doing and not have to worry about them.

If your audience feels your purpose is to impress them, to tell them how great you are or your idea is, to sell them on something, or to tell them what they need to do, they sit back and let you do your show.  They disengage.

When you tune into your audience’s purpose, into what they long for, and you align your purpose and your presentation with that, they lean forward in their seats.  They want to hear what you have to say. They become a part of what you are presenting. They’re engaged. They participate. Participate means “take part in”. It comes from the Latin word participare which meant "to share in.”

When they feel you genuinely share their purpose, they’re engaged.

When they feel you are solidly there for their purpose, they start to trust you.  It’s only at this moment that they open the door and let you walk in. And when you’re talking about their purpose and you are committed to assisting them in achieving it, they love you.

I teach my students to rewrite their presentations and communications to make the first sentence start with a deep understanding of the audience’s purpose, a deep understanding of what the audience is longing for. And then to use the word “you” as many times as they can while they talk.

When you do this, it changes the tone of the meeting, it changes the quality of your communication, it changes the message, it changes the relationship you have with your audience starting with your first sentence, and most importantly, it changes the impact you make on them and the results you walk away with.

This is true whether the audience is your 10-year old son, your senior leadership team, or an industry conference.

Ask George.  He’s got the track record and the computer algorithm to measure how well someone’s able to do this. But you don’t really need an algorithm, all you have to use is your own heart and understanding of what purpose is really all about and how much it means to you and to all human beings.

Be the cause!