Here’s today’s tip: If you can’t tell someone why you’re running in 30 seconds or less, don’t run.
One of the first things we talk about in our free online course is how to answer three questions: Why Me (why I’m the right person for the job), Why Now (why THIS is the time for me to run) and Why This Office (why THIS is the job for me). Any time somebody asks you a question on the campaign trail, it always comes back to those fundamental questions.
You’ll start out with pages of notes. Take some time away by yourself and just get everything you can out of your head and on paper. After some copy-editing, these pages will be the genesis of your campaign messaging.
Once it’s boiled down to it’s essence, those three questions form the answer when somebody asks you, “Why are you running?”
A succinct, confident answer to this question is one of the hardest things you’ll create. Spend quality time on it and get feedback from your team. I think about it in terms of, If I was pitching somebody for a million dollars and only had 30 seconds to make or break the opportunity, how much time would I put into preparing those 30 seconds.
Well, in this case we’re talking about a 30 second answer that you’re going to use repeatedly and it’s going to determine whether you get elected.
Prepare well and don’t run if you can’t make a strong case for why you’re running in 30 seconds or less
