Everything Is Important

There’s a company based in Los Angeles that builds my favourite car.

It’s not Ferrari, Lamborghini or any ‘popular’ sports car that you’re used to seeing in movies or the expensive-end of town.

This teeny tiny company is called Singer. And they only make one car. Well…they only ‘remake’ one car. The Porsche 911. They take an old body of an old Porsche, and completely transform it to give it the modern engine, transmission and feel. Their cars are fast, but they don’t care about the 0-100 time. Rather, they make the cars to feel great.

Their cars are so good that they cost more than new Porsches, and you have to wait a few years after you place your order to get one. They’re rarer than toilet paper was during the pandemic.

Why?

I have a feeling it’s got something to do with their motto:

“Everything Is Important”

Not just how the car looks. Not just the top speed. Not just the sound of the exhaust.

All of the obvious things are obviously done well. But so are the non-obvious things…

The way the gear stick ‘clicks’ then you lodge it into gear. The distance between the pedals and the driver’s seat being absolutely perfect. The texture of the steering wheel, the door pulleys, and even the way the seats are stitched. EVERYTHING is important.

Every. Single. Detail.

That’s why this tiny company can sell their cars for over $1m & still have a waiting list for years.

What’s this got to do with us?

Let’s start with public speakers who deliver speeches that rock the world (and Youtube). They’ve spent hours and hours to practice and refine every detail.

Obama, Tony Robbins, Schwarzenegger, Oprah, Seth Godin, and even Cardi B!

Just kidding.

The subtle thing you’ll notice is that all of them are salespeople. Every. Single. One. So they HAVE TO be great at communicating, right?

And aside from their gravity-bending storytelling, their words are refined. Calculated. And serve a purpose. We all know there are different ways to say the same thing – but it’s important to choose the way that works the best.

Because what you say imprints on another person’s mind. Like in the movie Inception – that scene whee Joseph Gordon-Levitt says,

“What do you think about when I say ‘don’t think about elephants’?”

Answer: “Elephants”

I’ll give you another example. What do you think about when I say Trump needs a haircut?

Sorry about that. I didn’t give you any warning.

Let’s get that image out of our minds now.

Focus on Framing 

Wes Kao wrote about this recently in her article – and she’s used some real-life examples to get the message across. This one has come up so many times in my conversations over the years:

“I won’t disappoint” is like hearing “I’m not going to throw this shoe at you” when you’ve had an argument with your Latina wife and she’s just bent down to pick up her shoe. You’re expecting to be disappointed.

“I’ll do my best” on the other hand, makes you expect the best.

Both lines mean they same thing…but they don’t feel like the same thing, do they?

Here’s another example:

Subtle change, but a whole perspective shift for the listener. And these teeny tiny details can really make or break sales conversations.

Okay, one more example:

The first sentence is anchored around your competitors. What does that make people think about? You competitors.

The second is anchored around your product. THAT’s what you want your prospect to be thinking about.

I’ve made this mistake so many times over the years – I was unintentionally doing my competitor’s marketing for them!

So Wes’ article make me realise how important it is to focus on these tiny details. Focus on the framing. Like Singer does with their Porsches. Because if you wanna be the best…

EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT

Question for you to reflect on:

In other news:

I’ve booked a one-way ticket to Spain, flying out on March 11. I’ve heard the entrepreneur scene is huge in Barcelona. If you have any connections I could reach out to, please let me know!  

And if you’re in Sydney, let’s catch up before I head off. I’ve been blessed with the ability to have several coffees in a day and still fall asleep at 10pm.

Don’t have a bad week,

I mean…have a great week.

Harry

P.S. If you enjoyed that, forward it to a friend 🙃