Say it in Seven Words (or less)

I often ask sales people to describe what they do in seven words or less. Many initially say they can't possibly communicate the complexity of what they do in seven words. But they can - and they do. 

For example:

> We help you comfortably retire. (Fidelity)
> We protect companies, lives and reputations. (GE Insurance)
> We help companies do business online. (IBM)

When I did this exercise for a bunch of Wharton graduates recently, someone asked, "Why seven?"

Studies have shown that there's actually a natural rhythm and ring to the number seven. George Miller (a cognitive psychologist) in  his 1956 paper, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two, details why seven is pretty much the cut-off point when it comes to recalling things like lists or quotes.

One account executive pitched the services of his firm to me the other day - telling me how his company could conduct leadership coaching for the CEO - and offer management techniques for developing greater influence with boards of directors. The company also helps its clients develop recruiting strategies to attract top talent and develops programs for employee retention. They help companies create innovative techniques for improving HR performance - and "oh yes," he concluded - "we also do HR outsourcing and we have unique insight into change management and succession planning."

Without looking up, how many of these services can you recall?

If you're really good, you'll remember seven, but most people will recall three to five. To improve retention, Miller suggests we put things in categories, something the human brain responds to quite naturally.  So the next time you articulate a barrel of benefits, take a step back, think of natural categories - and you'll make a more memorable impression.

The next time this eager account executive calls on someone, he's promised to focus on two things: Leadership and Talent. Now isn't that much easier on the memory?