This afternoon I had the opportunity to talk with a gentleman who co-founded a company that is now publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Two of his major strengths are strategy and marketing, which became readily apparent when I asked for feedback about our site and Flash demo. He didn’t hesitate at all to provide solid critiques of what we were doing well and what we could improve upon.
As for the meeting, one of the most insightful takeways I received from him was to redo our Flash demo and make it more punchy. We need to channel Billy Mays. He said I should watch the show Pitchmen on Discovery and really pay attention to how they construct and deliver the material. Here are some of the specific points he relayed:
- Set the demo up like a story
- Be passionate and enthusiastic throughout
- Emphasize the benefits first and set up a hook for the watcher to need more
- Highlight any superlatives, like #1 in a certain market
- Provide a call-to-action at the end for a direct response
We’re going to re-do our Flash demos and channel our inner Billy Mays.
David Cummings on Startups 