Tomicide Solutions January 2008: Information Technology Brochures From Sellers' Drawing Boards To Buyers' Rubbish Bins

By Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan

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Imagine this situation: You want to buy a computer but you don't exactly know what kind of computer you need for your specific needs. So, you decide to go to a store and discuss your needs with an expert.

So, you walk into a store, look around and what do you see? A large floor-to-ceiling bronze statue of the owner of the company and the walls are full of placates with fancy slogans, like...

"State of the art computer systems with unparalleled customer service..."
"Your one stop shopping in information technology..."
"The most knowledgeable IT staff in the known universe..."

And similar bullshit.

And then an overzealous sales clerk (on straight commission) jumps right in front of you and starts his sales pitch at you...

"Welcome to the Canada's best information technology store. We can solve any IT problem you may have. We have the most knowledgeable staff, highest quality and the lowest prices in town. If you find something somewhere else at a lower price, we'll beat it for you."

Or...

"Let me tell you a bit about our company. Our almighty president started this company in the late 19th century when he was penniless and dead flat broke. To make it worse, his wife had just run away with the postman. Since then we've become a world class IT supplier, including supplier to Fortune 500 companies."

Interpretation...

Canada's best information technology store: Says who?

We solve any IT problem: Really? So, you know absolutely everything about IT. Hm...

Best staff, lowest prices and highest quality: It screams low-profile cheap crap and minimum wage staff with astronomical staff turnover.

We beat others' prices: The store is desperate for any business regardless of profit margin.

Supplier to Fortune 500 companies: Once an IBM receptionist hopped in for a calendar refill, and the other time a janitor from Intel came in for an inkjet cartridge for his kid's computer.

Would you be taken aback if this happened to you in a real store? I would. Most probably you too.

So what is the logic in receiving new clients in your business the same way when they enter through your brochure or your website?

Imagine the brochure situation...

Being the beginning of the year, many sales and marketing managers at technology companies are contemplating to revamp their companies' brochures and create something more exciting. They will go to their marketing departments and start discussing their desires with the creative people...

"Hey folks, for this year we really need something very exciting with some new graphics and some neat spiffy slogans. We really have to impress our market. Get to work and I'll check back in a few days."

Nothing specific, just something exciting and spiffy. A few days later the marketing manager returns and checks what the creative staff have come up with. The marketing manager likes what he sees and takes the prototypes to the boardroom. He then explains what is what and through gentle nudging he makes the executives like the new stuff too. So, the executives give the go-ahead, and the new full-colour brochure with the enclosed CD and / or DVD can go to mass production.

And when people receive the new super expensive brochures, they take a quick look, and what do they find there: Pages upon pages of pompous pontification and self-aggrandisement. And since there is nothing valuable there, the brand new super expensive brochure goes into the rubbish bin and the DVDs and the CDs go to the kitchen and spend the rest of their careers working as glorified coasters.

Due to my past as an engineer and technology buyer, companies often hire me to guide them through expensive technology purchases, and one thing I encourage them to do is to get rid of those useless brochures not to let them clog up their offices. From the buyer's standpoint, stuff on pontification is not worth keeping. I truly believe in American writer and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson's time-tested truism...

"The louder he spoke of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons."

The other day I was reading the list of the top 50 richest people in the US. The funny thing is that they are all nice, down-to-earth pretty humble people. And the "Ultimate American Success Story and American Dream" the loudmouth Donald Trump is not even on the list. So, as we can see, being super successful is not the same as being a pontificating celebrity. All right, Trump is successful, but so are Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and the two Google Guys. But they seem to be so busy making their contributions to the world and to their respective industries that they don't have time and energy for the celebrity game.

Or look at the other hot celebrity Victoria Beckham. What's her achievement? Nothing really. Precisely dick. Yes, Spice Girls, but that band is really just the result of a great marketing ploy and PR stunt not the result of talent. Her achievement is that she married a successful guy, the soccer genius David Beckham. That's all.

Or what makes Paris Hilton a celebrity? Her grandfather's and great grandfather's money, which they accumulated through their talents and hard work, and she is wasting?

When you read most technology companies brochures, they reek of this dubious celebrity smell. It reminds me of one episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. This guy is running an "authentic Italian" restaurant. He gets his food from the local superstore pre-made and frozen. Then he bungs it into the microwave and then serves it as authentic Italian cuisine. The business is about to go bankrupt and the guy - just like so many business owners do - buys a brand new BMW with a registration plate: "A1CHEF".

Gordon calls this the proverbial penis extension. If you're a shitty chef, at least get a car with a fancy number plate that screams you're very very good, successful and have something impressive to brag about.

The words of the former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher comes to mind...

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

And when you look at many technology companies behind those brochures with the highest claims, what you often find is - close to - minimum wage workforce (guess their knowledge level), "hire them, tire them and fire them" HR strategy, dictatorial (Trumpian?) management style, "Flash, glitz and glamour" style image marketing, sales force is an army of newly recruited kids of on straight commission, an operating philosophy built on the "Conformity we must worship, status quo we must uphold" mantra and many other illnesses.

Structure of a Technology Brochure

I believe a brochure must be of multi purpose. It must be modular with a collection of mix-and-match documents. Also, since this brochure takes a bit of money to produce, you have to be careful about who to hand them out to.

So, you start with a...

Pocket Folder

Initially you can use the ready-made folders you can buy at stationery stores but down the road you may want to get these babies custom-made with your logo and address on them. You can also get them customised to your company's colours. Your folders create instant brand reinforcement.

Table Of Contents Page

This is a list of all the enclosed documents. This piece usually goes on the top of the other documents on the left hand side of your folder.

Executive Summary

This is a one-page document on the top of the other documents on the right hand side of your folder. Your executive summary is a big-picture overview of your business but written from the client's perspective. That's why it must start with the buyer's problem not the seller's solution.

Now let's take a look at the structure of this summary.

  1. The Problem: Tell what's not working: The Problem section discusses the biggest problem(s) your target market is grappling with. Here you demonstrate that you understand this problem inside out

  2. The Solution: Tell how it could be: The Solution section explains how the situation would be different and better without the problem(s)

  3. The Reason: Tell why problem hasn't been solved yet: The Reason section discusses why the market is stuck on the problem

  4. The Need: Tell what to do to improve the situation: The Need to do section explains the steps the reader must take to eliminate the problem(s)

  5. The Action: Tell what exactly to do: The Action section urges the reader to take the recommended action and get on the path of solving the above-mentioned problem(s)

Biographical Sketches

Now this depends on the number of people you have in your firm. I also suggest clients that they include each and every person that contributes to the company's success, regardless of position.

Solo professionals and companies up to 5 people: Full one-page bio on each person. And from here on, the number of people increases, drop the size of the bios on each person. For super large companies, include a list of the people and a link to their online bios. Look, online storage is dirt cheap, so you don't have to save money on that. The more you reveal about the human side of your company, the more credibility you can create.

If you have a full-page bio, I suggest you put two pictures on it. One is a normal pedestrian, garden-variety headshot and the other photo shows you in action working with other people. "Collaboration" photos a more valuable than headshots.

Products And Services

Here you have two options...

  1. If you have only a few products and services, then list all of them here with an indication that there are more details on them on your website

  2. If you have many diverse products and services, then include one-page summary sheets only on the products and services that are relevant for this buyer under the circumstances.

I prefer #2 regardless of how few products and services my client has. It keeps readers more focused.

If you decide to put one full service per page / sheet, then you can use this structure.

  1. Name of the service

  2. Purpose of the service

  3. Description of problem

  4. Value proposition

  5. Intended results

  6. Structure, format, process

  7. Call for action

Case Studies

After white papers, case studies are the most eagerly read documents B2B marketing departments can publish. And it's high-level decision-makers who read them, so they're worth the effort.

It's a good idea quantifying as much in your case studies as you can, and also paying attention to the soft-improvements, like improved morale, energy and enthusiasm.

Testimonials

If you're permitted to publish client testimonials, then do so. They can be pretty powerful.

Your Engagement Process

Here you explain your engagement process from start to finish. Buyers who read this far do so for a reason, and this is the time where they want to know the process of working with you. And remember Deming's words...

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing."

Create detailed checklists, audit points, milestones or anything that indicates that there is a fairly consistent method to your madness. This shows that your service is reliable not merely haphazard improvisation. Most of your competitors have these processes in place once they start their engagements, but they fail to demonstrate them in advance.

As the old saying in sales says...

"The more you tell the more you sell."

I would also add that the more you tell the more you can charge, which can be a handy side-effect.

Most of your people have no idea how much thinking goes into rendering premium services, and, by default, they tend to simplify things. This approach shows them that everything you do and the way you do it is the result of careful consideration. And of course, explain that all this hubbub, hullabaloo and brouhaha are in the clients' benefit. Well, they are. Otherwise what's the point in doing them?

Company Story

The reality is that people love reading great stories. Since life is happening to your buyers, they try to learn from others. And stories are great for this purpose.

So, here you can put a 1-2 page story on your company. Most companies have something interesting to say. So, say it here.

Enclosed CD Or DVD

Be very careful here. Many technology companies make the mistake of including demo - scaled down skeleton - versions of their earth-shattering solutions. They are often demo software packages with vital functions disabled. If you hand out software, then hand out the full-tilt version for a limited period of time. And make that trial period long enough, so if your stuff is good, people can get addicted to it. Let's learn from drug dealers here. They supply new drug users with a serious amount of drugs to make sure they get "properly" addicted so then they are ready and willing to commit even murder to get the money to buy new supply of dope.

However, I discourage people to use software demo at this stage. It's too early. Most people won't install an unknown entity on their computers let alone on their networks. People are just too paranoid about viruses. You are not yet a trusted supplier.

At this stage, you'd better distribute valuable information because that better establishes your expertise and market position than a scaled down CRM software or similar "scaled down" thingy.

So, what can you put on the CD or DVD? Recordings of live presentations, webcasts, collections of podcasts. Stuff your buyer can learn from. If you can, include live presentations in front of an audience. Make sure there is lots of interaction between the audience and you. This interaction puts the listener/viewer into "thinking" mode as opposed to being a passive listener/viewer of a one-directional presentation.

Tips On Writing

Summary

The essence of designing a brochure is nicely summarised by the late Gary Halbert, self-proclaimed Alpha Shitweasel, Prince of Print and copywriting legend (1942-2007)

"Stop friggin' worrying so much about yourself, your identity, your self- and public image, and your wants and needs. You are not your market. You are not the people you are marketing to. Instead, go beyond the narcissistic boundaries of your own precious and petty concerns. Expand. Explore. Mentally and emotionally move into the hungry crowd that is your market. Become them so you can understand, to the greatest degree possible, who they are, how they feel, what they want, what they think about, and what is going to make them most likely to buy."

Write the kind of stuff in your brochures that is about your market not about you.

Before you present your solution, discuss the market's problems in the absence of the solution.

After the problem, discuss the long-term consequences of not addressing these problems.

And there is one more point to cover here. Who to hand out these carefully created brochures? Obviously to properly qualified prospects who are likely to either do business with you or pass your brochure on to another qualified buyer.

Attribution: "This article was written by Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan who helps privately held information technology companies to develop high leverage client acquisition systems and business development teams in order to sell their products and services to premium clients at premium fees and prices. Visit Tom's website at http://www.varjan.com.