In this post you will learn how to write and create the ultimate sustainability sales pitch in 9 steps. If this new knowledge isn’t game changing for the way you deliver your environmental and social initiatives I promise that as a minimum this post will put a smile on your face.
Warning: If you do not have a sense of humour you should probably not read any further as the following post includes some content they may disturb some readers including reference to unicorn poop, porcelain thrones, and Howard Stern’s toilet habits.
Everybody likes a good poop joke, right? Well the team from Squatty Potty have excelled in taking this to a new level. The Squatty Potty is basically just a plastic stool for the bathroom that changes your seating position. Whilst the Squatty Potty teams effort to convince us in the following video that we need to buy a Squatty Potty is eye wateringly funny (at least my 7 year old son and I think so) this is not what interests me most. What really interests me most is the sales formula that sits behind the following funny infomercial and how this can be applied to communicating sustainability.
In the following video, the Squatty Potty team used a 9 step sales formula which launched Squatty Potty from a $17,000 per annum business in 2011 to a $30 million per annum cult juggernaut today and they are on track to hit $100 million in the next few years. Sustainability professionals can adapt this same formula for communicating or selling the benefits of our sustainability plans or our sustainability strategies.
But before we move onto the serious stuff you need to watch the following 3 minute video and then once you have composed yourself you can read on.
Let’s dive in and have a look at each of these steps.
Step 1 – Attention
The first step in any sales or marketing campaign is to gain the attention of your target audience. The Squatty Potty team achieved this in the first 4 seconds of the video by telling us that our ice-cream comes from the “creamy poop of a mystic unicorn” and together with the visuals they have commanded your complete attention.
A sustainability example of this would be the Patagonia Black Friday “don’t buy this jacket” advertisement that immediately grabs your attention because it disrupts the standard messaging we are used to seeing.
Source – Patagonia
Step 2 – Identify the Problem
The next step is to state the problem. In this case study the problem is the way we sit on the porcelain throne and the muscle that creates a kink that stops those “Ben and Jerry’s from sliding out smoothly”.
For sustainability this could be the rapid pace of technological change, how to attract the top talent, competition from innovative startups, concerns over shareholder activism, reputational risks and so on.
Step 3 – Agitate the Problem
What are the negative consequences if you don’t fix this problem? Hemorrhoids, pelvic organ prolapse, constipation, bloating and IBS. None of that sounds good, does it?
How about loss of social licence to operate, competitors out innovating your company, the CEO looking like they dropped the ball? What are the negative consequences to your organisation and the people in it if you do not address this sustainability problem.
Step 4 – Introduce the Solution
This step involves introducing the solution to the problem. Not your solution or your sustainability plan but the higher-level solution. For Squatty Potty this is changing your position from a sit to a squat.
Step 5 – Introduce the Product
This is where you introduce your sustainability plan or solution. Your target audience now understand that they need to change from a sit to a squat and here comes the Squatty Potty that helps them to do just that.
Step 6 – Describe the Offer and Benefits of the Product
Want to have the best poop of your life? Then you need the Squatty Potty because it removes the kink (delivers the solution), lets you get “complete elimination”, saves you time on the chamber pot (“go twice as fast or your money back”), and it tucks neatly out of sight thanks to it’s patented design.
This step is not about the features of your product or service or your sustainability plan. It is about solving a problem or a need. What problem are you solving and for whom?
Step 7 – The Call to Action and Response
Now that you have your target audience thinking “I really need this” what do you want them to do? “If you are a human being who poops from your butt, click here to order your Squatty Potty today”.
What action do you want people to perform when you pitch your sustainability plan? Do you need the CFO to approve a budget, the facility managers to review energy data, or staff to use public transport more?
Step 8 – Social Proof
Still not convinced? What if I told you that the Squatty Potty was endorsed by your Doctor, The Shark Tank, Huffington Post and even Howard Stern. What about the 2000+ five star reviews on Amazon.
Who else is talking about your sustainability plan, what successful case studies can you reference, what previous wins have you had in your sustainability program, what influencers think this is a good idea?
Step 9 – Response Secondary Call to Action and Response
Finally, one more call to action for those that needed a little more convincing and that’s it.
Surely if the team from Squatty Potty can convince thousands of its happy and slightly less strained customers that there is a better way to poop, then we can convince our companies and customers that saving the world is a good idea.
Try using this the next time you have to pitch your sustainability plan (for clarity I mean the 9 step formula and not the Squatty Potty – the later approach might be a bit awkward for your audience) and perhaps you too might deliver a winning sustainable soft serve delight!
Influence and Persuasion Online Course
Unlock the power of influence for sustainability. Learn behavioural science, communication, and persuasion skills to achieve lasting positive change. Drive sustainability outcomes, gain buy-in for your initiatives and enhance your leadership skills.
$197 incl GST
36 Lessons
1.5 hours of video content