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3 Things Politicians Should Learn From Entrepreneurs

This article is more than 4 years old.

Today, people focus more intensely and efficiently than ever before. They have zero tolerance for long-winded explanations, exhaustive chatter, or linguistic tactics. While the entrepreneurial community is making efforts to adjust (driven by the need to survive), for some reason, politicians are having a harder time adapting to today’s audience. It doesn't have to be that way.

You may have noticed Bernie Sanders leaning into his relationship with Cardi B. You might assume that he's trying to draft off her pop-culture celebrity and looking to 'age down' his perception. While there may be some truth to that, the real value is the brilliance of Cardi B's messaging. She speaks in sound bites. She translates ideas into simple concepts and direct points. In today's world, that resonates and is far more productive with the public than another Bernie political speech. On the edge of 2020, people don't want rhetoric. They want clear and concise information. Ironically, Cardi B delivers that in spades. I bet you never thought you'd be reading about the brilliance of Cardi B's messaging in Forbes. Welcome to a new world.

Bernie Sanders via Twitter

When I recently had the chance to consult with a political candidate on their messaging and presentation, my goal was to get the candidate to try to simply convey the information and stop trying so hard to sway voters. Between multiple layers of handlers, being ushered in behind closed doors, and the pages of confidentiality; it was a surreal experience. When the formalities were behind us, I finally got to my core question, “What do you actually want people to understand?” It was incredibly revealing. This candidate was facing the same issues that entrepreneurs deal with daily - problems with their story resonating, separating themselves from the crowd, delivering their message so it's understood.

This was not an easy assignment.

"You sound like a politician," I said several times.

Eventually, the candidate conceded, "I am a politician.”

"Do you think it's good for a salesman to hear 'you sound like a salesman'?" I asked rhetorically. "Years of sales tactics have ruined the term salesman, and years of political tactics have ruined the term politician. If you sound like a politician, people are going to be turned off." I pressed the issue. "Is your strategy to try and be the one that turns people off the least?”

The candidate chuckled, and this broke the tension in the room. "What do you suggest?”

It was exhilarating. As the afternoon went on, it was like watching layers of baggy tattered clothes being peeled off to reveal to a real person buried underneath.

My takeaway, politicians should take a page from the entrepreneurial guidebook and treat voters more like potential customers . It doesn’t matter if the audience is customers, clients or constituents; nobody wants to be ‘sold’ anything.

Being an entrepreneur means you have to study your craft, continually improve, and quickly adjust to the changing landscape of the consumer culture. Two of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs are messaging and marketing. You need to craft a clear and concise message to combat the audience's ever-shrinking attention span, and you need to utilize advanced delivery methods to get that message out effectively.

Lost Klein

Here are the three entrepreneurial lessons that resonated the most with this candidate:

  1.   Just Say It Once. Repeating yourself or saying the same thing in different ways doesn't help get your point across. It conveys a lack of confidence and detracts from your message. The more you repeat yourself, the more you look desperate to convince your audience by any means necessary. You can hear President Trump consistently repeat phrases and statements in his speeches or interviews. In a rare point of agreement, supporters and critics of the President see how this is less appealing.
  2.   Respect Your Audience. The ultra-savvy audiences of today doesn't want to be coddled or pacified with unnecessary explanations, buzz words, or emotional triggers. It's important to respect your audience's time and their inherent knowledge. The story you want to tell from A to Z doesn't need every letter of the alphabet. Respect that the audience 'gets it' and avoid appearing condescending by 'talking down' to them.
  3.   Simplicity and Clarity are Compelling and Powerful. In the race to break through and get noticed, it's easier and more effective to say less than it is to try and match the shouting of the crowd. People tune out the noise and are attracted to the inherent confidence of someone who believes the value of their information can stand on its own. The one who gets heard is not always the one talking the loudest.

Penguin Random House

I've been teaching my 3- Minute Rule for years, and I've always said the principles apply to all areas of life and business. I'd love to tell you this candidate took all my guidance to heart and is now poised to race up the polls, but we'll have to see. Perhaps, in the upcoming debates, you'll notice someone on the stage saying less and getting more.

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