What would your 'FedEx Sentence' be?

Hey there,

I like to think of the processes your business runs as a kind of map, guiding your clients and the people who serve them along established routes through your business. But sometimes, it's not clear where you are, and the map isn't enough.

That's when you need a compass, as well as a map. So people always know where 'North' is.

If you have the time, you could run a full set of Promise of Value workshops with your team, but if you're in a hurry to get away for a break, there is a quicker way to define what 'North' means for your business.

That is to write what I call the 'FedEx Sentence' for your business.

A 'FedEx Sentence' is a slogan that captures your 'North' in a way that sums up what you promise to the people you serve, AND helps your team make it happen when you're not around to help.

So today we're going to look at

• The original 'FedEx Sentence' and why it worked.
• The anatomy of the 'FedEx Sentence'
• How to go about creating your own 'FedEx Sentence'

The original 'FedEx Sentence' and why it worked.

Once upon a time, the courier company FedEx had a legendary slogan that captured their True North:

"When it absolutely positively has to be there overnight, FedEx it'.

It worked, because these words don't just spell out the promise FedEx was making to overnight clients, they also give FedEx employees the license to do 'whatever it takes' to deliver on that promise.

Famously, a FedEx employee chartered a helicopter in a blizzard. And was applauded for it.

Sometimes, narrowing down the focus of who you are targeting can help you to come up with a benefit. FedEx don't only do next-day deliveries. They also handle less urgent deliveries. But if they can be relied upon to deliver when doing so is really tough, it's safe to assume that your 3-day delivery will arrive without a hitch. That part of the promise doesn't need to be spelt out.

Which leads nicely into:

The anatomy of a 'FedEx Sentence' - what every successful 'FedEx Sentence' needs

Benefit focused

The focus needs to be on what the client gets, not how you do it. The client didn't care that their parcel travelled by helicopter (although I am sure they were impressed). What they cared about was that it got there in time.

Of course FedEx don't only do next-day deliveries. They also handle less urgent deliveries. But if they can be relied upon to deliver for their most demanding clients, when doing so is really tough, it's safe to assume that your 3-day delivery will arrive without a hitch. That part of the promise doesn't need to be spelt out.

Concrete

Whatever the benefit is, it can't be woolly, or subjective. 'In time', though true, isn't definite enough. And it's open to interpretation. 'Overnight' means something very specific.

Emotional

I don't think I could put this any better than Al Ries*:

"A slogan needs a dose of real emotion in order to make it memorable. 'Overnight' articulates the FedEx position, but it needs 'absolutely, positively' to add the emotional frosting to the positioning cake."

Memorable

Read the FedEx slogan out loud.

"When it absolutely positively has to be there overnight, FedEx it'.

There's a little bit of rhyme in there. It's not obvious, but there's a definite almost-rhyme between 'absolutely' and 'positively' and 'has to be there' that helps to make it catchy. Replace 'has to be there' with 'must arrive' and you'll hear what I mean.

There's also a rhythm to the whole sentence. If you took out one or other of the words 'absolutely' and 'positively' it wouldn't just lose some of it's emotional urgency, it would lose it's rhythm too, and that would make it less of a mantra.

How to go about creating your own 'FedEx Sentence'

Your goal is a sentence that spells out the concrete benefit you never fail to deliver for your clients. Whatever it takes.

Here's how to build it with your team:

Identify the benefits

List all the benefits you can think of that your clients enjoy as a result of working with you.

Here are some questions that may help:

• What can they do that they couldn't do before?
• What do they get that they didn't have before?
• What pain do you relieve for them?
• What joy do you give them?

Make it concrete

For each benefit you've listed, ask:

• 'How does my client know that they have it?' The answer should be binary - they either get the benefit or they don't. The parcel arrives overnight, or it doesn't.
• What's the most extreme situation we can deal with?
• How far are we prepared to go to deliver on our promise?

Make it emotional

• What's their biggest fear when they come to you for help?
• How do your clients feel after you've kept your promise?

Make it memorable

I'm not a copywriter, and the chances are you aren't either. So for the purposes of being able to take a short break, here are a few templates that might help you come up with the first draft or so of your sentence:

• "We do [X]. [the people we serve] do/get/achieve [Y] because we do." A favourite of mine from Bernadette Jiwa.
• "When [problem], we [solution]."
• "Promise kept], or [compensation]"

If you get stuck, think about slogans you remember.

If you're like me, most of them will be from your childhood: "The sweet you can eat between meals", "Go to work on an egg", "A Mars a day helps you work rest and play", "They asked me how I knew, it was Esso Blue. I of course replied, with other brands one buys, smoke gets in your eyes"

Analyse them, see how well they meet the criteria for a 'FedEx Sentence'.

Steal ideas from them for your own.

A final note.

Don't worry about making your 'FedEx Sentence' clever. For now, it's for internal use only. Clear is what you need. So that if your team encounter a problem while you're away, they can make a good decision without having to call you first.

Don't worry about making your 'FedEx Sentence' short. For now, it's for internal use only. And some of the best and most memorable slogans are much longer than 'Just Do It'.

To quote Al Ries again: "How long should a slogan be? It should be long enough to reach an emotional connection in the consumer’s mind."

Do worry about making sure that what you promise in your 'FedEx Sentence' is within your control to deliver.

And above all, worry about making sure you mean it.

Avoid over-promising and then under-delivering. If that means setting boundaries on what a team member can do in your absence, fine. Just make sure your 'FedEx Sentence' reflects those limits.

That’s it.

Here’s what I hope you learned today:

• Having a 'FedEx Sentence' for your business gives everyone in it a 'compass' to follow when a client interaction is 'off the map'.
• To be useful a 'FedEx Sentence' must be benefits-focused, concrete, emotional and memorable.
• To be effective, you have to really mean whatever your 'FedEx Sentence' says. You must be prepared to back it up with action. And that means empowering your team to take the initiative when you aren't around.

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A 'FedEx Sentence' could be the last step in getting your business ready for you to take that short break you've been dreaming of. The one where you don't have to check your email, text messages or WhatsApp every day. The one where you don't get calls asking you how to do something people do every day. The one where you can truly relax, knowing your business will not just survive you being away, it might actually thrive a little too.

So why not have a go at producing yours?

• What concrete benefits does your business deliver to your clients?
• How does that make them feel?
• How could you sum that up in an actionable sentence for your team?

Let me know what you come up with.

​Book a quick chat if you'd like some feedback.​

Thanks for reading!

*https://brandingstrategyinsider.com/strength-in-length-the-long-slogan-advantage/​

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