This is the seventh in a 12-pack of simple, short and useful tips to help you write more better today.
Tool Seven: Show. Don't tell.
On more than one occasion, my man-of-few-words father unwittingly provided sage ad-writing advice:
"Don't tell her you're courteous. Open her door."
Understand? We should be able to end the tip right there, but instead I'll provide one more of my own creation:
"Don't be surprised to get stupid, shallow answers when you ask stupid, shallow questions."
YOU: What separates you from you competitors?
CLIENT: We care about our customers.
YOU: Ok! Brilliant! We'll have an ad for you this afternoon. Say, can I go ahead and get that check?
Consumers have been to the carnival one too many times. They're waiting for you to prove what you say.
Claims of "great customer service" and "best selection" and "best prices" ring hollow.
Make your client prove it. Here's one for you:
"Tell me a story."
If your client tells you they really care about their customers,
ask them to tell you a story of something that happened in the last three days that proves it. Tell your client you cannot continue until they've proven their assertion.
There's gold in that story and countless others.
As my partner, Roy H. Williams, says:
"Close the loophole."
And you'll open your client's doors to countless new customers just searching for someone to believe.
It's worked for my man-of-few-words father for 47 years next week.
Thanks, pop.
PS - Our next tip has to do with improving your client interactions such as the one above. A hint? It don't take much smarts. It takes guts.
Tool One: Listen.
Tool Two: Use Better Verbs.
Tool Three: Study Great Writers.
Tool Four: Three Shots of Adrenaline
Tool Five: Embrace Notebook Moments.
Tool Five Redux: Notebook Moment Hall of Fame
Tool Six: Write in the Language of the Customer.
 Read About Tim Miles
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