Second in a series from my Get To The Point! program for people who want to be clear, confident and convincing whenever they have something important to say.

We've all been there. You've suffered through having to listen to a rambling, all-over-the-place, disjointed, thinking-out-loud, more-likely-than-not rushed person try to tell, sell or convince of you something. And 'fess up, you've done it yourself to others.

As I mentioned last month, the universal problem is that we just have too much stuff inside our heads. We think surely, if we just get enough of it out of our heads and into the listener's ears, something relevant will click or stick. They will see things our way eventually.

Maybe. Or maybe not. Again, we've all been on both sides of that approach. Here's a better way.

Instead of thinking about all the stuff you want to say, that you hope you get time to say, think about when it's all said and done--literally. Think about what happens when you leave the meeting, hang up the phone, send the email or end the conversation. Think about the single most important thing you want remembered and repeated about what you had to say. What do you want that person or your audience to say when asked about what you had to say?

"Well, they talked about this, and they showed us that, and they're located there, and they were pretty easy to talk to." OR, "They've got the experience we need and can hit the ground running."

"Marketing is always asking for more money," OR, "We can increase sales if we improve our visibility with Baby Boomers."

Obviously (I hope it's obvious), you want the latter examples, or something like them if you're making a new business pitch or defending a budget.

That's how you find your point. Once you know what you want people to remember and repeat, everything you say, or do, or show needs to support, defend, prove, demonstrate or bring to life that point. What facts, features and benefits will prove that point? Which case studies or examples, analogies or stories will make it clear? Remember, your audience extends a thimble's worth of interest, so choose wisely. Don't fill the thimble with a fire hose.

Note: Your point is NOT "hire us" or "increase the budget." Those are your calls to action. That's what you want them to do as a result of having been convinced of your point. If you are tempted to merely repeat your point as a call to action, then one or the other is probably not right.

Pretend you are meeting with your boss for a performance review. When the boss goes home and is asked, "So, how did your meeting with YourNameHere go?" Do you want your boss to sigh and say, "Well, s/he hit me up for a raise"? OR do you want the boss to answer, "That YourNameHere is a real keeper. I gave him/her a raise."

Focus on finding your point first. That's what determines how you'll use or not use all the other stuff you have in your head to set the stage, support and defend your point, influence choice and ask for action.

Because when you get to the point, you'll get more people to see things your way.

The Maverick Marketing Workshop is packed with creative ideas and tangible tools you can use (and re-use) right away to make your marketing more effective, sell more products/services, and generate more revenue--regardless of what you may have tried before, regardless of how big or small your budgets are. (Even if you don't have a marketing budget.)

No theory, no rhetoric, no kidding. We will be digging in and drilling down on what you need to know and what you need to DO to get more business right away. No excuses and no whining, either. I will help you:

• Distinguish your business, products and services from the competition.
• Find your points of difference no matter how much you look like the other guy, and create a competitive edge no one can copy.
• Focus and create marketing messages that are meaningful and memorable and get you the kind of results you're looking for.
• Decide the right mix of marketing activities for your target audiences and budget.
• Generate word of mouth marketing that creates a buzz and costs you nothing.
• Use the 4 cornerstones of an effective marketing message to attract prospects.
• Attract more customers, clients and referrals.

If I have my way, and you do your part, you'll walk away with a clear direction of how to set your business apart, a clear and compelling message to communicate it, and a realistic action plan for taking it to the marketplace, all designed to get you the specific results you're looking for.

More focus, impact, response and revenue. Who doesn't want a little more of that?

Post-Workshop Round Up and Group Therapy. About 30 days after the workshop, I'll be on the phone for an alumni conference call in which anyone who wants to can report progress, ask me to clarify content, celebrate success, get feedback, ask questions and-dare I say it-be held accountable for their action plan. It's 90 minutes of group therapy, and it's included in your registration.

When: Wednesday, June 23 in sunny Southern California, not far from Disneyland.

Whether it's marketing, PR, or advertising, whether online or offline, internal or external communications, written or spoken, 1:1 or in front of a group, there's always the risk that what we have to say boils down to those three words: blah, blah, blah.

How do you make your message stand out from the competition, from the clutter? How do you create messages that are both memorable and meaningful--meaning they get people do, not do, or let you do something specific? Like hire, buy, try or use your products or services, or change a perception or behavior.

I will be presenting Blah, Blah, Blah: Tips, Tricks and Tools to Make any Message Stand Out, Get Better Results and Be Anything But Boring, packing the program with creative ideas, powerful insights, plenty of laughs, real world examples and tangible tools you can use right away (and over and over) to be less ordinary and more effective when it comes to all of the above, regardless of what you'v'e tried before, and regardless of how big or small your budget is--even if you don't have a budget.