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Read Time: 15 minutes<\/em><\/p>\n
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Hello<\/p>\n
Welcome to Chapter Two of SQUAD. New recruits (and old alike) can access the SQUAD Locker<\/strong><\/em><\/a> to read old Chapters. The Locker<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is classified and exclusive to squadron eyes only. (Password: topgun)<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n Before we begin, I\u2019m humbled by the feedback I got from Chapter One. It is the reassurance to continue doing the thing I love, which is creating and sharing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those of you, who got left out or didn\u2019t get the chance, I encourage you to fill out this survey. Tell me a little bit about yourself<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, it only takes sixty two seconds. Your suggestions are appreciated and help me shape and improve the SQUAD.\u00a0<\/p>\n Back? On with our Sunday adventures now.<\/p>\n One question I get frequently asked is, \u201cHow did you convince the client into rebranding?\u201d<\/em> or \u201cHow did you get approval on that idea\u201d<\/em> on instances when the client appeared to be conservative or rigid or needed to be educated<\/em> about design.\u00a0<\/p>\n And, the truth is, I never convinced them because they didn\u2019t need convincing. I\u2019d say, if you\u2019re approaching someone to convince them into doing something, that\u2019s a missed opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve been there too. Twelve years ago, fresh out of college, I found myself asking the same thing. What I learned and did, do instead, is what this Chapter is all about.<\/p>\n The art of selling your ideas.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chapter is split into four parts. In the first part, we\u2019ll visit Northpoint to give you a frame of reference.\u00a0<\/p>\n The second slice covers why no one gives a shit about your ideas, how to get people excited and interested in your ideas, and why you need to be a pickup artist. \u00a0<\/p>\n The third bit dives into having the right attitude and mindset, and the common mistakes people make when sharing their ideas with an illustrative example.\u00a0<\/p>\n The final breadth is about coming up with relevant ideas that make impact. We\u2019ll also talk about the pitfalls of assumptions<\/em> and generalisations<\/em> with a fantastic story the President of Media Planning, Lowe shared with me.<\/p>\n \u2013The First Part \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n A trip to Northpoint<\/strong> An institution designed to address the lack of preparatory grounds transitioning young professionals from text-book to the playing field.<\/p>\n Northpoint had zero, on campus, faculty (except for a Director of Programming), relying solely upon visiting practitioners from the industry. A rare sight at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n “Show me who your friends are and I\u2019ll tell you who you are?”<\/em><\/p>\n For a year, Northpoint put us in a boardroom (overlooking Western Ghats, a swimming pool and a tennis court, through it\u2019s floor to ceiling windows), face-to-face with President, CEO, CFO, VP, Head of Creative or <put almost any agency department here>, Director and Senior Management (including the client side), exposing and expanding our minds on a daily diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Never a dull moment.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n These men and women brought, to the table, their experiences, learnings, live case-studies, giving us a first-hand account of what they were working on, what challenges they were facing, and how shit got done in the real world and most importantly how they sold their ideas (on some occasions worth millions of dollars)<\/em> day-in-day-out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond these \u201cboardroom\u201d sessions we were thrown into the meat-grinder, working in the different departments of an agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carrying a bag full of soap, working my way from shop to shop, in the sultry summer of Mumbai, and reporting back to Unilever HQ with findings and observations was part of working at the client\u2019s office.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n By its immersive nature, the Northpoint experience hardwired these real-world problem-solving practical skills into me leaving no chance for guesswork.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone caught faffing was at the wrath of Siva sir (Northpoint crew knows what I\u2019m talking about). We took our shit seriously, son.<\/em><\/p>\n The next near-decade was spent in applying those skills in an advertising agency and later in a brand consulting firm I founded with a friend. The findings and results of application and practicing those concepts are what I\u2019m sharing with you today.<\/p>\n \u2013The Second Part<\/em><\/p>\n Why you need to be a pickup artist<\/strong><\/p>\n “Whatever you’ve learned till now is fucking wrong! It doesn’t work in the real world. We\u2019re going to unlearn everything.”<\/em><\/p>\n There I was, front row and centre, on day one, at Northpoint, and the first thing to come out of Suraja Kishore, VP, Lowe\u2019s mouth (sporting a French-beard and bright floral shirt) were those words.\u00a0<\/p>\n A statement made only with the intention to instigate and open up our minds to new possibilities and a different world view. Pickup artists and great salespeople use a similar technique when starting any interaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n By the way, I\u2019m not suggesting the VP is a pickup artist. Having the undivided attention of a room full of restless-opinionated-minds within fifteen seconds of making an entrance was a technique worth elucidating.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the psychology aspect.<\/p>\n As people walk through life, over time, they tend to form secure belief systems, view of the world, view of themselves, view of how things work, opinions of who they are, what they stand for, what they believe in, or in the case of companies, what the process or culture is, what they can or cannot do etc., becoming set in their ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n I get caught up in the hype too. No kidding.<\/em><\/p>\n “I’m not creative” or “I’m an analytical thinker” or “I’m not outgoing” or “I’m not meant to be a dancer” or “I’m an atheist” or \u201cThis is how we\u2019ve (or I) always done (do) it\u201d or \u201cWe don\u2019t need a rebrand\u201d or \u201cWe don\u2019t need a new website\u201d or \u201cThat new app user flow isn\u2019t for us,\u201d being close relatives of the same mentality.<\/p>\n Some people, clients, brands etc., like living in the neatly designed shell of their our own self-image because it’s harder to adjust their view than to maintain it.<\/p>\n And at the slightest chance of someone changing that reality or offering a different view, “No thank you I\/we don’t want it” becomes the gut knee-jerk reaction.<\/p>\n Laziness and fear being the culprit.<\/p>\n Opening up your audience to become receptive to your ideas begins by making the interaction personal and relevant. As the VP had done so successfully by questioning and challenging a bunch of BBA freshmen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being a figure of authority, in the room, was another factor going for him that day despite the floral decoration.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Offering an alternate view is not about coming from a negative place or an attempt to put others down. I\u2019d be worried if I were in a room where that was acceptable.<\/em> It should be aimed to inspire and present an alternate reality of success to a client, person, company or business. Remember, you\u2019re not trying to negate other ideas but only bring more perspectives to the table.<\/p>\n The second part of presenting an alternate world-view to someone is freeing yourself of the outcome. To not be worried about failing, rejection or falling flat on your face. Being able to walk away at anytime works in your favour.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n You don\u2019t come of as needy<\/em><\/strong> (when talking to a hot girl)<\/em> or trying to be <\/em>\u201csalesy\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (trying to win business).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n On winning and losing countless pitches (in personal and professional life), I traced back failure to the lack of applying these\u00a0simple traits.<\/p>\n \u2013The Third Part<\/em><\/p>\n Sharing Mindset<\/strong><\/p>\n Having someone, other than yourself, listen to your idea- not hear it passively but listen attentively and remain engaged till you stop talking can be a nerve-racking and daunting scenario to some.<\/em><\/p>\n In your case, it could be a project that needs approval or a partner that needs to be \u201cconvinced\u201d or a stakeholder\/client that won\u2019t budge. Who knows what this may entail for you?<\/em><\/p>\n The common thread I noticed by observing and working alongside clients, colleagues, bosses who inspired, motivated and excited me to do my best can be explained as so.<\/em><\/p>\n When great leaders, people I admire and for whom I go out of my way to work with, share their ideas, they invite people into a dialogue, are at the cause being\u00a0proactive, open to consideration, have a willingness to share ownership with people around them and are receptive to world-views different from their own and able to channelise their team\u2019s energy towards their vision while welcoming and embracing negative feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n In stark contrast, clients, colleagues or people I try and avoid exhibit traits that are commonly found in amateur talent, out to prove themselves. They behave reactively, fearing their ideas may get hijacked or stolen or have to be shared by other people, acting defensive, trying to protect their ideas by playing bank with cash. They are not receptive or open to feedback or different world-views. Any attempts made to help are seen as stealing or putting down their idea.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the fear of having someone else improve upon your idea. If another soul made your original idea great by adding to it, would that still be \u201cyour\u201d original idea? Having to resonate in the thought of not being the one to have had that better version? Not getting one hundred percent credit or losing limelight are a few susceptible causes. <\/em><\/p>\n Whenever I find myself caught up in this feeling, I shake it off immediately knowing nothing good will follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n It takes guts to be transparent and open by putting yourself and your idea out in front of the world, being vulnerable to external forces beyond your control.\u00a0To a certain degree, there\u2019s a level of detachment required from your own idea for it to truly become a living breathing dragon. Ha! You get the point, right?<\/em><\/p>\n \u2013The Final Part<\/em><\/p>\n Why assumptions are bad news<\/strong><\/p>\n Premjit Sodhi, President Media Planning, Lowe started his workshop with a lesson he learned during his days in business school. He\u00a0recalled his professor putting the class to task with the story of a farmer. It went something like this (this was while ago but I\u2019ve got a handle on it).<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s a poor farmer living in the middle of the Rajasthani desert. He can barely make ends meet, his house is falling apart, the nearest hospital is hours away and there\u2019s no water supply\u2026 and so on describing the apathetic conditions of the villager.<\/em>\u00a0How can you improve and make the farmer\u2019s life better?<\/em><\/p>\n The students, including Premjit, assembled in teams, spending the day debating and ideating. They came back to class that evening, in time for presentations, with amazing ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n These ranged from getting the government involved, interconnecting the remote village with satellite towns by road and having a school built, digging a community tubewell, giving the farmer a tractor and supplies (even a laptop), fixing his house to finding him a job and having a municipality setup.\u00a0<\/p>\n The professor listened, chiming in on occasions, patiently till the last student spoke his last word. And, when all was said and done, he had only one question, to their dismay, for his hungry-for-praise<\/em> students.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDid anyone bother to ask what the farmer wants?\u201d<\/p>\n Today, product designers are labelling it \u201cUser Centred Design\u201d as if it\u2019s a concept dropped out of digital heaven, wedging the divide between the agency and product world thinking. Maybe we can debate this topic in another Chapter.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n But broadly speaking, very early, we learned to leave our assumptions at the door, to question everything, talk to end users\/customers, to arrive at true insights by research and observation, have multiple points of view even if some of those views were conflicting<\/em> and form opinions by doing the work.<\/p>\n No shortcuts, ever.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why when you approach a client with your ideas (without identifying the problems to be solved or knowing jack shit) for rebranding or app design or recommendations on solutions out of context, the gut knee-jerk reaction of the client is to reject it because the client is busy solving \u201creal\u201d problems and doesn\u2019t see the value.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Data speaks<\/strong> Instead of wasting time assuming and imagining the needs of a product or client or user, I learned to dig for insights, doing the leg work, becoming an investigative journalist.<\/p>\n Soak in the business or client or person you are going to meet. Absorb everything you can find on them (and their direct competitors) across any medium you can get your hands on.\u00a0<\/p>\n Research, read and read some more (bookmark that shit)<\/em> on what company leadership is saying in blogs and articles, tap into perspective of thought leaders and opinion makers, check out employee reviews on Glassdoor, put an ear to customer feedback (in forums), make snapshots of press and media clips, engage in social media conversations and comments across the spectrum, and if you have access to the product, take it for a spin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Let all the research, data, findings\u00a0feed\u00a0into\u00a0your mental mood board.\u00a0<\/em>You don\u2019t have to be a practitioner from the client\u2019s or product\u2019s industry to have an informed opinion. I assure and promise you these efforts won\u2019t go unnoticed.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n A few things will happen with this approach. One, you\u2019re going to understand the bigger picture at play and have context to the client, product, business, person, throwing light on their vision (or it\u2019s absence), their problems (your opportunity)\u00a0and what day-to-day activities they might need help with.<\/p>\n In love, looks don\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Making it personal and relevant. If one thing I have learned from my travels over the years is people (irrespective of age, caste, sex, religion, place in society) around the world love it when you talk about them. Listening, with genuine interest, is at the heart of it.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Present your ideas, perspectives and pitch with the precision of a meticulous Swiss watchmaking craftsmen and be willing to walk away.\u00a0There\u2019s a slim chance, despite your efforts, you won\u2019t get heard, and you\u2019ll be OK with that because you\u2019re ideas are not meant for everyone.<\/p>\n Remember, great ideas don\u2019t need convincing.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Think of a prised possession you own or person you admire in your life. Did they try and \u201c<\/em>convince\u201d<\/em><\/strong> you into liking them, buying into them or was it voluntary submission to the cause? On occasions you take pride in being the evangelist to that idea, person or cause. Let that thought sink in.<\/em><\/p>\n This week I also wrote Five Life Lessons My Coach Taught Me<\/a>\u00a0which is the result of completing 500 days of regular Crossfit.<\/p>\n One last thing before you go<\/strong> This weekly digest will appear in your inbox every Sunday. Be sure to add me to your contact list so you don’t lose me.<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n Have a happy week!<\/p>\n Yours truly, TWITTER<\/a>\u2014INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u2014MEDIUM<\/a>\u2014OFFICE<\/a>\u2014ELLO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SQUAD\u2014Chapter 2 \u265b Chapter Two Sell Your Ideas \u2014 Read Time: 15 minutes Hello Welcome to Chapter Two of SQUAD. New recruits (and old alike) can access the SQUAD Locker to read old Chapters. The Locker is classified and exclusive to squadron eyes only. (Password: topgun)\u00a0 Before we begin, I\u2019m humbled by the feedback I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digest-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90002\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In 2007, I was enrolled at Northpoint (an offspring of Mullen Lowe Lintas Group), studying brand, marketing, advertising, media, and communications.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(A pun on deeds speak)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
Secondly, you\u2019re not pitching pretty designs or (what you assumed to be what the client needed) anymore but having meaningful conversations of \u201cbusiness transformative\u201d ideas that are tuned with the client\u2019s business objectives.<\/p>\n
And thirdly, you\u2019ll be talking to the client about the client, their product, their customers, excited to share your findings. You\u2019ll be surprised at how many people walk into a room and talk only about themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I encourage you to share your views either by replying to this email or\u00a0tweeting me<\/a>. Always happy to improve, learn and answer your questions. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Paul Syng<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/48cb3d2f-41db-40cc-959a-c92452f2fb39-scaled.jpg\")
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