English: Barack Obama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While the recent Obama – Romney debate may not have been the most riveting in history, it did offer some lesson for those of us in business. Here are my observations:
Be Prepared
We will never know how many hours each put into the debate preparations but Romney clearly came across as well prepared. It was rumored he hunkered down for more than four weeks. This former Boy Scout noticed.
Lesson for us all – put time in preparation.
Have a Plan
Both came in with a plan and tried to execute. Pundits are agreeing that Romney appeared to have a better plan. Sticking to the plan worked for Romney while Obama’s plan came off as fragmented.
Lesson here – make sure it is a good plan.
Know Your Audience
Both aimed for the middle class. In my view, both missed. If there is a statistic out there on this, I am sure you will see a significant percentage switched from the debate to something else. Vexing the audience to keep up with policy wonk did not come off well.
Lesson on this point – truly get to know your audience or buyer personas with solid qualitative research – otherwise your plan will not work.
Deliver the Right Message
At times, I could not tell if both were trying to speak to me or to those who sat on the Bowles-Simpson Committee. It seems both were looking for the game changing “gotcha” moment.
Lesson on message – do not play the “gotcha” game with your competitors, develop a solid message that connects with your customers.
Tell a Story
Romney did himself some favors by telling stories of people he met. Where did he say he met them? Of course, in the key battleground states. Obama told a few stories as well but they seemed forced and non-compelling.
Lesson for business – make sure you have compelling stories to tell to your customers – do not force bad ones.
Get Social
This debate generated the most social media activity of any previous debate in history. You can bet we will surpass repeatedly. As each generation matures, we can bet on greater numbers participating.
Lesson for business – the connected social wave is here to stay, ride it or sink.
I cannot wait for the next debate!
