The short answer
How do you explain what you sell concisely?
Use three sentences: the problem in the buyer’s words, the one thing you do about it and a short example. Say it aloud, time it at around twenty seconds, cut qualifiers and unprovable claims, and finish with a question.
Foreword
Why it matters
Most explanations get longer every time they are repeated, because each new detail feels important. Practising the short version aloud, and checking it against a clear target, is how it stays short12. A concise explanation also leaves room for the buyer to respond.
Retrieval
61%
of a passage recalled a week later after three practice tests, against 40% after four readings1
What we’ll cover in this guide
- Part 01: Build three sentences
- Part 02: Cut and test aloud
- Part 03: End with a question
- Your practice task: a short exercise to try with Selly
- Conclusion and what to practise next
Part 01: Build three sentences
A concise explanation has three parts: the problem, what you do about it, and one example.
Problem, answer, example
Sentence one: the problem
Name a problem your buyers recognise, in their words, not yours.
Sentence two: what you do
One capability that addresses it. Not a list.
Sentence three: an example
A short, concrete picture of it working.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- Could a buyer repeat your explanation back? If not, simplify a word or two.
- Does sentence one use the buyer’s language? Replace any internal jargon.
Part 02: Cut and test aloud
Written explanations feel shorter than spoken ones. Test yours by saying it.
Trimming
Time it
If it takes more than about twenty seconds, something can go.
Remove anything you cannot prove
A shorter explanation that is accurate beats a longer one with a claim you would have to walk back.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- How long did it take to say? Aim for about twenty seconds.
- Is every claim one you could support? Cut the others.
Part 03: End with a question
A concise explanation hands the conversation back.
Inviting a response
Ask whether it fits
“Does that sound like something you run into?” gives the buyer a simple way in.
Let the buyer steer the detail
If they want more, they will ask. Their question tells you which detail matters.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- Did you finish with a question? Add one.
- What did the buyer ask about next? That is the detail to expand on.
Your practice task
- Write your explanation in three sentences: problem, what you do, example.
- Say it aloud to Selly and time it.
- Cut anything that does not change the meaning, then say it again.
- End with a question and follow whatever the buyer asks about.
Conclusion
Short explanations are rehearsed, not written. Three sentences, said aloud and trimmed until they fit in twenty seconds, then a question that hands the conversation back.
