Last week, I discussed the first habit of the highly effective rainmaker: the headline statement. This week, I'd like to highlight the second component to this headline statement habit.

Part 2: Build a memorable Headline Statement with the “Rule Of Three”

The Three Little Pigs. The Three Stooges. The Three Musketeers.

The “rule of three” says that an audience is more likely to connect with and remember information when it is presented in groups of three. What a surprise when I was introduced to this principle! I was attending an AMA seminar led by David Sandler, the author of You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike.  “In developing your headline statement”, Sandler said, “Go back and determine three reasons why people hire you or what you do for them that is different from someone else. Incorporate that in your headline statement.”

Before applying the “rule of three”, I used to tell people I met, “I’m a business development coach for attorneys and CPAs and I help people come up with a marketing plan and I meet with them once a month and I hold them accountable” and on and on and on, until they stopped listening.  My headline statement clearly wasn’t working. So, I went back and looked at the last 20 people who hired me and applied the “rule of three”. Here’s what I discovered about those clients.

Number 1: They hated marketing.

Number 2: They didn’t have time to do marketing.

Number 3: They were very frustrated with the results of the marketing efforts they had done.

Now when I meet people I say, “I’m a business development coach for attorneys and CPAs who hate marketing, don’t have time to do marketing or are frustrated with the results of the marketing efforts they have done.” The statement creates a connection with the listener and is remembered long after our conversation ends.

Is your headline statement working? If not, try using the “rule of three” to create a new and more compelling message.

1. Think about the last 10 – 20 clients who hired you.
2. List the top three reasons they hired you:
   
   1. _____________________________________
   2. _____________________________________
   3. _____________________________________
3. Turn those 3 reasons into a statement about what you do.

Can’t quite nail it? Maybe a coach could help (wink).

What about your headline statement now?

• What did you learn when you applied the “rule of three”?
• Have you tried out your new headline statement yet?
• If so, what happened?