firstborn 99u studio session: selling to skeptics
TRANSCRIPT
Selling to Skeptics99U Conference Studio Session | April 30, 2015
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About Dan LaCivita
Dan LaCivita brings over a decade of experience to his role as CEO of Firstborn, an award-winning creative and
technology company headquartered in New York City since 1997.
Swiftly rising through the Firstborn ranks since joining in 2003, Dan has the hands-on experience of a former creative
developer, sharp strategic instincts honed from leading long-term client relationships, and innate leadership abilities that
drive Firstborn to be one of the most forward-thinking agencies in the world. His unique perspectives of being both a
thinker and a maker drive this same culture within the company.
Inside and outside the office, Dan can often be found shuffling a deck of cards—a nod to his expertise in the art of close-up
magic. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Jen, and his own first- and secondborn, Eli and Luca.
About FirstbornFirstborn is a digital creative agency based in New York. We help brands transform their businesses through strategies,
ideas, platforms, and content that strengthen their Experience Economies.
We partner with clients to disrupt their categories through the power of digital—from marketing and advertising, to new
product and service creation. Our culture of thinkers and makers from around the world work together to bring these
experiences to life, reshaping how brands like PepsiCo, American Express, HBO, Aflac, L’Oréal and Rolex offer value to
their consumers and differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Firstborn’s work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Clios, Cannes Lions, and One Show
Pencils; the agency, itself, has been placed on prestigious rosters such as Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies,
Advertising Age’s Agency A List, and Crain’s Best Places to Work in New York in both 2011 and 2014.
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What is a skeptic?
A person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.
skep tic noun
Skeptics are not the enemy.
Skeptics are not the enemy.
We’re all skeptics.
And new ideas are filled with the unknown.
We’re skeptical of things we’re unsure of.
We are skeptical of new ideas because...
They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.
We are skeptical of new ideas because...
They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.
They often mean more work needs to be done.
We are skeptical of new ideas because...
They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.
They often mean more work needs to be done.
They ask us to take a risk.
To get a Skeptic over these hurdles, we need to build a multi-layered strategy.
They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.
They often mean more work needs to be done.
They require taking a risk.
Selling to Skeptics
Identify your Skeptic
Convince the Skeptic of your Idea
Persuade your Skeptic
to Act
Identify your SkepticStep 1 //
You and your Skeptic are likely coming from two different places.
YOU &YOUR IDEA
YOURSKEPTIC
How much does this pen cost?
You’ll need to figure out how to get your Skeptic closer to your way of thinking.YOU &
YOUR IDEA
YOURSKEPTIC
To do that, you’ll need to know your Skeptic.
Myers Briggs Personality Test
created byIsabel Briggs Myers
influenced byCarl Jung
Introvert. Sensing. Feeling. Perceiving.
Avoid conflict and exude a quiet friendliness. They are open-minded and sympathetic
but prefer not to work with others.
The Skeptic Personality Matrix
RATIONAL EMOTIONAL
• Moved by evidence
• A cautionary risk-taker
• Moved by stories
• Rely on gut & intuition
• Motivated by feelings
RATIONAL EMOTIONAL
APPROVER
SEEKER
Personality-based or
Situation-based
• Needs to see the whole picture
• More concerned with the destination than the journey
• More comfortable with incomplete info
• Wants to be involved in the ideation process
APPROVER
SEEKER
APPROVER
SEEKER
RATIONAL EMOTIONALRational Approver Emotional Approver
Rational Seeker Emotional Seeker
APPROVER
SEEKER
RATIONAL EMOTIONAL
Rational Approver
Emotional Approver
Rational Seeker
Emotional Seeker
JIM
Jim is a marketer for a major electronics brand.
In calls about a potential piece of business, he:
- Always speaks in campaign results.
- References research studies on consumer behavior.
- Repeats bullet points in the creative brief without much embellishment.
- Wants to have scheduled milestone reviews but only every month.
APPROVER
SEEKER
RATIONAL EMOTIONAL
Rational Approver
Emotional Approver
Rational Seeker
Emotional Seeker
Jim
JIM
Jim is a marketer for a major electronics brand.
In calls about a potential piece of business, he:
- Always speaks in campaign results.
- References research studies on consumer behavior.
- Repeats bullet points in the creative brief without much embellishment.
- Wants to have scheduled milestone reviews but only every month.
The more you know about your Skeptic, the easier it will be to connect with them...
...and convince them.
YOU &YOUR IDEA
YOURSKEPTIC
How do you identify your Skeptic?
Online DiggingChannel your inner stalker
Past DecisionsWhat has your Skeptic green lit?
Phone a FriendTap into the Skeptic’s network
Persuade the Skeptic
to Act
Selling to Skeptics
Identify the Skeptic
Convince the Skeptic of your Idea
Convince the Skeptic of your Idea
Step 2 //
You must convince.
Give a Skeptic reasons to believe
You must convince.
Appeal to the logical & rational mind
To convince, you’ll need evidence.
To convince, you’ll need evidence.
Empirical Data Statistics Case Studies Use Cases
Example A
Empirical Data Statistics Case Studies Use Cases
Example A
Rational Skeptics Emotional Skeptics
So, you must convince your Skeptic.
But it may not be enough to make them act.
So, you must convince your Skeptic.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
Remember this guy?
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
In 1995, retired NFL player OJ Simpson stood trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
in case you missed it
Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor
She needed to convince the jurors that Simpson killed Brown & Goldman.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor
Her (Very Convincing) Evidence
Scene Weapon DNA Bloody Glove
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor
But she also needed to persuade them to act—to return a guilty verdict.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
She forgot to do that.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
She forgot to do that.
Rodney King
Distrust of LAPD
Domestic Violence
Personal Connection with Jury
Involving Jury
Personally
Engagingthe Jury
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
1944The ACS issued its first
warnings about smoking
$500MMspent on anti-smoking campaigns since 2012
480,000smokers die every year
from smoking-related diseases
42MM Americans still smoke
Clearly, convincing is not enough.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
You also need to persuade your Skeptic to act.
Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch
Persuade the Skeptic to Act
Step 3 //
So, how do we persuade?
First...
build rapport with your Skeptic.
Without rapport, you cannot persuade.
So when do you start building it?
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses
—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on
the road, long before I dance into those lights.”
Once the rapport is there,what else should you do to persuade?
Create the Journey“The Working Session”
Choose an environment that reflects the mood of the meeting you want to have.
Create the Journey“The Working Session”
The room setting (couches, no conference table)No physical obstacles between them and the “board”
Don’t default to PowerPoint!
Create the Journey“The Working Session”
You aren’t persuading if they believe it’s their idea...
Create the Journey
Paint the Future
“There’s this instructional device between what is, and what
could be. What happens is, suddenly, what is does not look as
appealing as what could be with your idea adopted. So that
contrast starts to make the status quo undesirable, and this
new place in the future more desirable.”
-Nancy Duarte
Source: Nancy Duarte
“There’s this instructional device between what is, and what
could be. What happens is, suddenly, what is does not look
as appealing as what could be with your idea adopted.
So that contrast starts to make the status quo undesirable,
and this new place in the future more desirable.”
-Nancy Duarte
Source: Nancy Duarte
Seeing is Believing
Experiencing
Selling to Skeptics
Identify the Skeptic
Convince the Skeptic of your Idea
Persuade the Skeptic
to Act
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