I speak frequently before audiences of producers. Often sponsors of the event are provided an opportunity to give a short commercial. Representatives from carriers and general agents troop up to the podium and give their two-to-three minute pitch. Apparently, like Lake Wobegon, the folks who work for these enterprises are all above average. At least that’s the conclusion one would draw after hearing virtually every sponsor brag that “our people are what makes us different.”

After a while the phrase becomes a sort of talisman, a magical incantation that conveys a host of deep meaning to the sponsors, but to the audience quickly becomes a boring, trite spiel. In short, a waste of time and opportunity. These sponsors may actually have great people. Their marketing message, however, not so much. The question is, if asked to describe our own businesses in two minutes, who among us would do any better?

The goal of marketing, as Al Reis and Jack Trout describe in their seminal work Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, is to “position your product in the mind of the prospect.” What your message means to you is unimportant. What matters is focusing on what the audience cares about and speaking to that interest in a way that enables them to grasp and retain your message. Crafting a marketing message that accomplishes this task, one that stands out from the crowd, can be challenging. The right structure can make this process easier and, fortunately, Doug Hall, author of Jump Start Your Business Brain, offers a great framework.