Whether or not we’d like to admit it, we’re all in sales. Yes, even marketers. We have ideas. They need to be sold. And most of the time, the person you’re pitching your idea to has an attention span of three minutes or less. It’s important to make that time count. Enter the nuanced art of selling ideas.

Catch Yvonne Tocquigny, Chief Creative and Strategy Officer at Archer Malmo for an engaging Special Interest Group (SIG) session on Jan. 27 from 7:30-9AM: You’ve Got a Great Idea… Now, How Do You Sell It?, held at Waterloo Ice House (breakfast tacos included!). In the meantime, we caught a quick preview below:

1. You’ve written before about generational differences in marketing to millennials and boomers. Could the same be said for selling ideas? Do you think idea-selling changes as generations evolve?

Different generations have different values and care about different things. So to sell to each generation, you must understand what motivates them, what they need and what they fear. However, the fundamental principles of how you go about understanding the audience and relating to them is the same.

2. What’s one common mistake that people make when selling ideas?

The most common mistake people make is that they fail to truly focus on the person they are selling to. They fail to understand their audience and they focus on what THEY want to say and what THEY want to sell.

3. How can they fix it?

Listen to the customer. Make sure you’re selling something that is truly relevant to them. Shape your offering and your message to fit them.

4. What are some blogs, books or other texts that you recommend to improve idea-selling, and why?

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs is an excellent book on how to effectively convey your message and persuade an audience.

5. What’s one action that we could start doing right away to better sell our ideas?

Spend less time talking and more time listening. Most presentations would be better if they were shorter. More succinct. More powerful. Listening builds trust and creates common understanding. The better we understand our audience, the more effectively we can relate to them. Many times, presenters have the illusion that as long as they are talking, they are in control. And if they are in control, they can continue to “sell” and have a better chance of victory. The opposite is actually true.

Learn more about selling ideas from Yvonne at the Austin AMA’s next SIG event – click the link below for more information!

In 1980, Yvonne Tocquigny launched her company, Tocquigny (TOH-KEY-KNEE), and from its inception, the digitally minded creative shop has focused on transforming brands. Adweek, B2B and Clutch have all named Tocquigny a top agency, honors reflective of the shop’s work for clients such as CITGO, Jeep, Dell, Hitachi, USAA and Caterpillar.

Collecting and building a talented team of makers, thinkers and doers — all working within a company culture that complements the uniqueness of Austin — Yvonne is regarded as a forward-thinker in the industry, one who looks beyond the norm to reach goals and objectives.
In 2015, Tocquigny joined forces with Archer Malmo, a leading brand communications agency based in Memphis. As Creative and Strategy Officer of Archer Malmo, Austin, Yvonne remains a popular columnist for the Austin Business Journal and is a frequent speaker for groups of CEOs across the country, international Six Sigma organizations, CEOs in the banking and finance industry and groups of startup entrepreneurs. Recently, Yvonne presented at BMA15, the largest B2B marketing conference in the world.

Yvonne is a Founding Partner and mentor for The Capital Factory, an incubator for startup companies that draws business talent from across the country. She is an inaugural member of the Advisory Council for the School of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Texas and a member of the Advisory Board of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.