Above all, I wanted to be truthful and exact. For me a landscape hardly exists at all as a landscape, because its appearance is constantly changing…You have to know how to seize just the right moment in a landscape instantaneously, because that particular moment will never come again, and you’re always wondering if the impression you got was truthful.
-Claude Monet
I was excited to see the special Monet art exhibition at the Denver Art Gallery this week. Monet has been one of my favorite artists since college. We share a similar love of nature, and I’m just attracted to his Impressionistic style.
The art museum did a fabulous job sharing his life story and portraying the progression of his artwork to focus more and more on nature. He lived in various cities and towns throughout his lifetime, until he found his home in Giverny, where he painted some of his most famous paintings – the Water-Lily Pond and the Japanese Footbridge series.
The focus of the whole exhibit was “Truth in Nature,” and Monet’s obsession to capture the reality of his view, at a particular moment in time. He said that instead of the details of a landscape, he wanted to capture the experience of it. I thought how excited he would be to live in our day when he could just take a photo or video!
Truth in Business
Marketing is a similar quest. How do we share about our business in a way that connects authentically with the people we are trying to serve? It’s a necessary pursuit. There are so many details to our products and services, so many aspects we could share – but how do we capture the essence and “truth” and share it in a way that our prospects and customers can experience our value.
One idea is to think about the specific problem you are able to solve for someone else. How do you want to help them? How can you help them be the “hero” in their own story? If you can communicate that clearly in a way that connects and that you can follow-through with, you will have great success.
Another idea: Listen to what people say about you. When a customer gets to work with you and has a great experience, it is a privilege to hear what they share with others. Read the specifics in your reviews. Pay close attention to what others say. What stood out most to them may have been just as much about the experience as the actual product or service. They may say:
- So easy to work with.
- Responsive and professional.
- Introduced me to so many great connections.
- Over-delivered.
- Grew my revenue 10X
- Best service in town
- Never could have figured it out without their help
All of these capture the truth of someone’s experience working with you. And that is what others will really want to buy from you. They can likely get a similar product or service somewhere else, but what is usually unspoken is the desire for an easy, memorable, and effective experience. Make sure you capture and share those ideas and stories throughout your messaging and marketing.
Monet was a craftsman, continually reiterating and seeking excellence as an artist. We can follow his example in our own lives and businesses, seeking to understand and express what is truthful in our lives.
Sonya Dalrymple 