As far as defining moments go, what’s the difference between meeting someone new, interesting, and exciting and getting someone to read our work? The answer is...not a thing!

A good personal introduction will establish interest, expectations, and a direction that the initial conversation can go. Likewise, a good written introduction will establish the direction an article, blog post, or newsletter is going to take, will create expectations that can be met, and will also serve as a mental Pit Bull that grabs our reader’s attention and won’t let go.

Here are some ideas:

Open with a question: Can you guess what the most common complaint about sales people is, from both customers and sales managers alike?

Open with a quote: “This just may be the single most important moment of your entire life.” That’s exactly what the red- haired, green-eyed beauty said to me just before she introduced herself.

Open with an announcement: Two of the most important elements in selling anything are the ability to build trust and confidence. The evidence manual is designed to help us do both.

Open with a personal experience: While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life changing experiences that you only hear other people talk about. You know, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly? Well, this one occurred a mere two feet away from me!

Open with a bold or challenging statement: Contrary to what you may have been told, knowledge is NOT power! It’s not what we know, but what we DO with what we know that makes the biggest difference.

Open with how we felt: My mouth was dry. My hands were sweaty. My breathing grew quick and shallow. My world went silent as the time drew near.

Open with a riddle: As far as defining moments go, what’s the difference between meeting someone new, interesting, and exciting and getting someone to read our work?

Even if we’re the most exciting person on Earth, no one will ever know unless we get properly introduced. The same holds true for our work. Even if it’s the greatest piece ever written, without a proper introduction, no one will ever know.

(Oh yeah, it’s also a good idea to make reference to our introduction in our conclusion!)

© 2016 by Michael D. Hargrove and Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc. All rights reserved.

Michael D. Hargrove is the founder and president of Bottom Line Underwriters Inc. and and My Success Company, which are success coaching firms serving the automotive industry for over two decades. You can find more of his work here: http://bluinc.com/free-stuff/articles/selling-skills/. He can be reached at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon, or e-mailed at mhargrove@bluinc.com.