If you want to get peoples’ attention, if you want them to listen to what you have to say, if you want to start a discussion about a topic important to your business or industry . . . make a prediction.
You may argue that you’re not clairvoyant, and you’re probably right. Maybe you’re afraid that your prediction won’t be 100 percent accurate. Again, you’re probably right. But it really doesn’t matter.
Chances are that if you’re in business you have a certain amount of knowledge, and understanding about how your little corner of the Universe works. You probably have enough experience to allow you to see the patterns that develop in your particular area of expertise. There’s a good chance that you understand your niche better than someone who hasn’t spent years doing what you do.
You don’t have to be arrogant with your prediction. You don’t have to be a “know-it-all.” As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to call your prediction a “prediction.” You can call it a projection or a supposition or a strong possibility. The point is, you have knowledge and experience that you can share with others. You can say something along the lines of: “After fifteen years in the industry, when I see ‘X’ happening and I can be pretty sure that ‘Y’ will happen within six months.”
People are desperately looking for someone to help them make sense out of things they don’t understand. If you have some credibility, you can help customers or prospects make sense out of things they lack the experience or knowledge to evaluate. You may want to avoid giving specific advice (“Sell all your stock and buy widgets.”), but you can suggest what you see as a trend.
If nothing else, you’ll start a discussion. And starting a discussion is a great way to find out what peoples’ needs are—and how your company might meet those needs.
(By the way, our prediction is that not everybody will agree with what’s been said here!)
What do you think?
