You then me.
This is a communications technique that is drilled into us at the fire hall. The intention is simple. When making a radio transmission first you say who you’re trying to reach (you), then you identify yourself (me).
For example, let’s say I was part of the interior crew and I needed to call command on the radio. I’d do that buy transmitting, “Command, Interior. Primary search complete.”
The idea behind it is that by saying the name of the individual you’re trying to reach first, you’ll catch their attention. Then you can identify yourself and proceed with your message with the expectation that they’re now listening.
You then me.
The Canned Impersonal Sales Pitch
We did communications training again this week at the fire hall, and as I was thinking about the concept of You Then Me, I couldn’t help me think it was also very relevant to marketing a voice over business.
Think about the marketing emails you receive every week. Every day. How many of them are nothing more than a multi-paragraph sales pitch about how great the person, product and/or service is? An entirely impersonal canned message that is copied, pasted and delivered to every person on a contact list.
Are these effective? By that I mean, do they work on you? Do you buy?
Me neither.
A Better Way To Introduce Yourself
When I reach out to a prospect, I already know that the odds are against me simply by the fact that I’m reaching out cold. That is to say, I’m making initial contact with no prior relationship. With that in mind, I’m looking for any advantage I can get to hopefully tip the odds even slightly in my favour.
My approach is simple. I do a little research on the prospect. Maybe check out their Twitter stream or Facebook page. Spend some time watching a few projects in the portfolio section of their website or on their YouTube channel.
In doing so, I now know something about them. Something I can use the break the ice using the You Then Me approach.
Instead of kicking off an email talking about myself or my services, I kick off the email making a positive comment about something I learned about them. Maybe it’s a compliment on one of their recent projects. Perhaps a comment on a blog post they wrote and shared.
Regardless of what it is, the point is simple. Make the communication a little more personal by saying something good about them to grab their attention. Do this first. Before you introduce yourself or talk about your services.
You then me.
The purpose is not to kiss their butt. Be genuine. Authentic. All you’re trying to do is establish the fact that you did a little homework before randomly reaching out to them out of the blue. You know a little bit about them. Their company. Their work.
From my own personal experience in marketing my voice over services, this has proven to be a much more effective way of introducing myself.
