Shovel some coal into that engine and start toot tooting

My friend who teaches high school chemistry once told me that the secret to being a good teacher is, acting like you’ve known forever what you just learned yesterday.

He wasn’t kidding. Doug is a smart, perceptive, hardworking guy. But he also understands the reality of his profession. It’s not about faking it until you make it, it’s about steering people’s perception towards realities that are more to your liking.

It’s about strategically choreographing attention in a manner that serves your goals.

After all, the human mind is mostly a narrative and causation creation engine. And as a survival strategy when resources are short, it’s always looking for shortcuts to bucket things. Why not make it easier for people?

This is an invaluable tool in the creative arsenal. Whether you’re building a company, building a brand, or building a house, compression solves the problem of time through reducing, condensing or combining.

If you’ve ever asked yourself the question, how do you gain credibility when you have no experience, compression is the key.

While working at a tech startup years ago, a potential client reached out to inquire about our company’s sponsorship program. Their marketing team had decided to dedicate a portion of their annual media budget to native advertising, and since they already loved our publication so much, it seemed like the right fit.

The only thing was, my company didn’t have a sponsorship program. Nobody had ever asked for that service before. But as any good salesperson will tell you, never let a lack of inventory stop you from selling something. This is when the tool of compression came into play.

Here’s what happened over the course of the next two days.

First, we emailed the prospective client back, thanked them for reaching out, and told them we’d get back to them with a quote.

Second, we researched all of our competitors and industry colleagues who offered similar services, using their language and visuals as inspiration for our own.

Third, we quickly mocked up a simple sell sheet that outlined and priced our sponsorship service.

Fourth, we repurposed the content from that collateral onto a landing page on our website.

And finally, we replied to that original email with the sell sheet and told the prospect we were excited about working together.

The whole thing took two days. Cost zero dollars. We make it look, sound and feel like we had been doing sponsorships for years. Even though the service line didn’t exist. Even we never had a paying client before.

Now, to what degree did our potential client know that? It’s hard to tell. Maybe it doesn’t matter.

But because it happened once meant that it was possible. Now our opportunity agenda was on high alert.

As my mentor used to day, where there’s one, there’s a ton.

Lesson learned, nobody wants to be the first person to trust you. Next time you want to gain credibility when you have no experience, use the power of compression. Act like you’ve known forever what you just learned yesterday. Treat your ideas like they’ve already been alive in the world for years.

Hey, if someone wants to lay down the track in front of your train, then go shovel some coal into that engine and start toot tooting.

Are you saving time or compressing it?