Part 12 | The 7 Habits [Dialogue Edition] | If You Want to Convey, First Understand | The Illustrated Guide to Selling Copy Paraphrasing
The word "benefit"
Hello, this is Hao Papa.
The book I am covering this time is "The Illustrated Guide to Selling Copy Paraphrasing" by Kazuyoshi Ohashi.
Since I conduct parenting seminars for professionals such as stay-at-home moms and childcare workers, I need to think about copy when creating flyers.
I had already finished reading the same author's "The Complete Guide to Sales Copy," and I thought I would read another title for review.
A keyword that appears repeatedly in the book...
That was benefit.
"It is important to convey the results (benefits) that the purchaser will gain, not the details of the product."
And then—a passage stating, "To convey benefits, you need the ability to concretely imagine a single persona." Although I thought it was a book on techniques, at its core was **"deeply understanding people."**
Asking myself "this and that"
While reading, another point of concern emerged.
Every time I read a skill-based book, I feel like, "This looks useful, that looks applicable." But it takes repeated practice and a considerable amount of time before I can actually use them.
Even in the parenting seminars I have been studying for 15 years, there was a large gap between understanding as knowledge and being able to use it instantly in the field. Even if I understood it in my head, it took years for it to become second nature.
I feel like this book quietly reminded me of that.
"Am I really building anything up by trying to learn this and that?"—that question gradually surfaced.
Three habits quietly overlapped
While reading this book, several words from The 7 Habits quietly came to mind.
The first is Habit 3: Put First Things First.
It is the question, "What do I really want to focus on and build up this year?" Things that are not urgent but are important—I wanted to ask myself if I am directing my time and consciousness toward those things.
The second is Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.
The attitude of deeply understanding a persona overlaps exactly with this habit. When I think, "I want to convey something to someone," am I really trying to understand the other person's world?—I felt that what is being asked before learning techniques is right here.
The third is Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.
Honing a skill is not something completed overnight. It is the very process of repeatedly sharpening it over many years. I felt once again that the 'continuous renewal' referred to by this habit is also a question directed at the way we learn itself.
My perspective has changed a little
I feel that in the past, every time I read a new book, I would try to put it into practice immediately, thinking, 'I'll use this tool' or 'I'll try this expression.'
But now, I have a slightly different feeling.
Perhaps accumulating learning is not about 'increasing the number of drawers' but rather about 'becoming able to use one thing deeply.' And to be able to use something deeply, the 'attitude of trying to understand the other person deeply' must come first—I feel like I have begun to see that order.
The purpose of learning sales copy is not to increase sales, but to deliver valuable things to the people who need them. I realized that for that to happen, interest in and understanding of people are necessary before techniques—a realization that applies to all situations where you try to convey something, whether in support work or parenting.
What is it that you truly want to 'focus on and hone' this year?
And when you learn it, are you seeking techniques? Or are you seeking to understand people deeply?
Invitation to the 7 Habits® Practice Group
Do you ever feel a sense of impatience or distraction somewhere while thinking, 'I want to learn this and that'?
What to prioritize, what to focus on. There is a place where we can bring those 're-examinations from within' together.
It is a practice group that values 'continuing to think' rather than a place to provide answers. When you are lost in the direction of your learning, please feel free to drop by.
▶ Details and Application for the Practice Group
https://haopapa.my.canva.site/7habits-jissenkai-note
Related Habits and Principles
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Basic Principle: P/PC Balance
#7Habits #Habit3 #Habit5 #Habit7 #Reading #Learning #SalesCopy #Skills #Priorities #AnnualPlan #Dialogue #Coaching