Selling to Skeptics99U Conference Studio Session | April 30, 2015

Prepared by:

About Dan LaCivita

Dan LaCivita brings over a decade of experience to his role as CEO of Firstborn, an award-winning creative and

technology company headquartered in New York City since 1997.

Swiftly rising through the Firstborn ranks since joining in 2003, Dan has the hands-on experience of a former creative

developer, sharp strategic instincts honed from leading long-term client relationships, and innate leadership abilities that

drive Firstborn to be one of the most forward-thinking agencies in the world. His unique perspectives of being both a

thinker and a maker drive this same culture within the company.

Inside and outside the office, Dan can often be found shuffling a deck of cards—a nod to his expertise in the art of close-up

magic. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Jen, and his own first- and secondborn, Eli and Luca.

About FirstbornFirstborn is a digital creative agency based in New York. We help brands transform their businesses through strategies,

ideas, platforms, and content that strengthen their Experience Economies.

We partner with clients to disrupt their categories through the power of digital—from marketing and advertising, to new

product and service creation. Our culture of thinkers and makers from around the world work together to bring these

experiences to life, reshaping how brands like PepsiCo, American Express, HBO, Aflac, L’Oréal and Rolex offer value to

their consumers and differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

Firstborn’s work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Clios, Cannes Lions, and One Show

Pencils; the agency, itself, has been placed on prestigious rosters such as Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies,

Advertising Age’s Agency A List, and Crain’s Best Places to Work in New York in both 2011 and 2014.

firstborn.com facebook.com/firstborn.nyc twitter.com/firstborn_nyc

What is a skeptic?

A person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.

skep tic noun

Skeptics are not the enemy.

Skeptics are not the enemy.

We’re all skeptics.

And new ideas are filled with the unknown.

We’re skeptical of things we’re unsure of.

We are skeptical of new ideas because...

They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.

We are skeptical of new ideas because...

They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.

They often mean more work needs to be done.

We are skeptical of new ideas because...

They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.

They often mean more work needs to be done.

They ask us to take a risk.

To get a Skeptic over these hurdles, we need to build a multi-layered strategy.

They require us to acknowledge that we’re not currently doing things entirely right.

They often mean more work needs to be done.

They require taking a risk.

Selling to Skeptics

Identify your Skeptic

Convince the Skeptic of your Idea

Persuade your Skeptic

to Act

Identify your SkepticStep 1 //

You and your Skeptic are likely coming from two different places.

YOU &YOUR IDEA

YOURSKEPTIC

How much does this pen cost?

You’ll need to figure out how to get your Skeptic closer to your way of thinking.YOU &

YOUR IDEA

YOURSKEPTIC

To do that, you’ll need to know your Skeptic.

Myers Briggs Personality Test

created byIsabel Briggs Myers

influenced byCarl Jung

Introvert. Sensing. Feeling. Perceiving.

Avoid conflict and exude a quiet friendliness. They are open-minded and sympathetic

but prefer not to work with others.

The Skeptic Personality Matrix

RATIONAL EMOTIONAL

• Moved by evidence

• A cautionary risk-taker

• Moved by stories

• Rely on gut & intuition

• Motivated by feelings

RATIONAL EMOTIONAL

APPROVER

SEEKER

Personality-based or

Situation-based

• Needs to see the whole picture

• More concerned with the destination than the journey

• More comfortable with incomplete info

• Wants to be involved in the ideation process

APPROVER

SEEKER

APPROVER

SEEKER

RATIONAL EMOTIONALRational Approver Emotional Approver

Rational Seeker Emotional Seeker

APPROVER

SEEKER

RATIONAL EMOTIONAL

Rational Approver

Emotional Approver

Rational Seeker

Emotional Seeker

JIM

Jim is a marketer for a major electronics brand.

In calls about a potential piece of business, he:

- Always speaks in campaign results.

- References research studies on consumer behavior.

- Repeats bullet points in the creative brief without much embellishment.

- Wants to have scheduled milestone reviews but only every month.

APPROVER

SEEKER

RATIONAL EMOTIONAL

Rational Approver

Emotional Approver

Rational Seeker

Emotional Seeker

Jim

JIM

Jim is a marketer for a major electronics brand.

In calls about a potential piece of business, he:

- Always speaks in campaign results.

- References research studies on consumer behavior.

- Repeats bullet points in the creative brief without much embellishment.

- Wants to have scheduled milestone reviews but only every month.

The more you know about your Skeptic, the easier it will be to connect with them...

...and convince them.

YOU &YOUR IDEA

YOURSKEPTIC

How do you identify your Skeptic?

Online DiggingChannel your inner stalker

Past DecisionsWhat has your Skeptic green lit?

Phone a FriendTap into the Skeptic’s network

Persuade the Skeptic

to Act

Selling to Skeptics

Identify the Skeptic

Convince the Skeptic of your Idea

Convince the Skeptic of your Idea

Step 2 //

You must convince.

Give a Skeptic reasons to believe

You must convince.

Appeal to the logical & rational mind

To convince, you’ll need evidence.

To convince, you’ll need evidence.

Empirical Data Statistics Case Studies Use Cases

Example A

Empirical Data Statistics Case Studies Use Cases

Example A

Rational Skeptics Emotional Skeptics

So, you must convince your Skeptic.

But it may not be enough to make them act.

So, you must convince your Skeptic.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

Remember this guy?

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

In 1995, retired NFL player OJ Simpson stood trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

in case you missed it

Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor

She needed to convince the jurors that Simpson killed Brown & Goldman.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor

Her (Very Convincing) Evidence

Scene Weapon DNA Bloody Glove

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

Marcia ClarkState Prosecutor

But she also needed to persuade them to act—to return a guilty verdict.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

She forgot to do that.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

She forgot to do that.

Rodney King

Distrust of LAPD

Domestic Violence

Personal Connection with Jury

Involving Jury

Personally

Engagingthe Jury

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

1944The ACS issued its first

warnings about smoking

$500MMspent on anti-smoking campaigns since 2012

480,000smokers die every year

from smoking-related diseases

42MM Americans still smoke

Clearly, convincing is not enough.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

You also need to persuade your Skeptic to act.

Source: John Steel, Perfect Pitch

Persuade the Skeptic to Act

Step 3 //

So, how do we persuade?

First...

build rapport with your Skeptic.

Without rapport, you cannot persuade.

So when do you start building it?

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses

—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on

the road, long before I dance into those lights.”

Once the rapport is there,what else should you do to persuade?

Create the Journey“The Working Session”

Choose an environment that reflects the mood of the meeting you want to have.

Create the Journey“The Working Session”

The room setting (couches, no conference table)No physical obstacles between them and the “board”

Don’t default to PowerPoint!

Create the Journey“The Working Session”

You aren’t persuading if they believe it’s their idea...

Create the Journey

Paint the Future

“There’s this instructional device between what is, and what

could be. What happens is, suddenly, what is does not look as

appealing as what could be with your idea adopted. So that

contrast starts to make the status quo undesirable, and this

new place in the future more desirable.”

-Nancy Duarte

Source: Nancy Duarte

“There’s this instructional device between what is, and what

could be. What happens is, suddenly, what is does not look

as appealing as what could be with your idea adopted.

So that contrast starts to make the status quo undesirable,

and this new place in the future more desirable.”

-Nancy Duarte

Source: Nancy Duarte

Seeing is Believing

Experiencing

Selling to Skeptics

Identify the Skeptic

Convince the Skeptic of your Idea

Persuade the Skeptic

to Act

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