“One Mississippi. Two Mississippi.”

If you’re a kid who grew up in the South, you probably know what comes next.

These were the rules for backyard football in my neighborhood:
► Two-hand touch,
► First team to 100 wins (unless the streetlights came on or somebody’s Momma called them to dinner first),
► Defensive linemen had to count to “Three Mississippi” before they could rush the passer.

Small business owner, did you know there is a similar marketing rule that hits you right in your pocket?

“Three Mississippi” is, in my humble opinion, a most-important rule.

You have three seconds to make me care about your brand. If you can’t, I’ll give “0” (zero – zilch – nada) clicks on your Call to Action.

Do you wonder why your Facebook ads don’t convert?  Are you scratching your head over why nobody grabs your free download?  Are your video views averaging 10 seconds or less?

It’s probably a sign you’re not passing the 3 Second Test.

Are you beginning to wonder if anyone really notices you…and then doubt starts creeping in?

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
“Nobody wants to buy my product.”
“I should just give up and go back to my old job.”

What if the problem isn’t you, your business, or your product?

What if it’s all in how you begin, whenever you start talking to your customer?

In the first three seconds, your customer doesn’t care about your product, yet.  They’re still focused on their problem and finding someone they can trust to deliver an outcome.

In your marketing, advertising, videos, and elevator speeches…lead with the outcome your brand delivers for your customers.  When you make a connection with your prospect on their level of interest, they’ll stick around to discover more about your product, process, or pixie dust that creates the magic.

When you lead with anything other than your customer’s desired outcome, your marketing conversations tend to sound like this…

(1 Mississippi)  “Hi, my name is…”
(2 Mississippi)  “I’m the founder and owner of…”
(3 Mississippi)  “We’ve been in business for XX years…”

Then, the rush is on.  But instead of heading toward you, they’re running for the door.

Here’s how it looks to begin all of your marketing with a customer-centric, outcome-focused message…

(1 Mississippi)  “Small business owners always seem to be experimenting with their marketing and getting poor results.”
(2 Mississippi)  “Most of them don’t know that a few changes to what they say, and how they share their message, can grow their sales 50% faster.”
(3 Mississippi)  “I love showing small business owners how to make those changes.”

Which way are you leaning now?