Vision and Belief

In any piece of writing, be it a website, sales letter, advertising or whatever there are three constituent parts, three elements that underpin the content, each of which should be considered and included; these being IQ, EQ and SQ.

Let’s consider each of these:

Most of us will know what IQ is, we all have an Intelligence Quotient, some higher than others, but one way or another we all possess IQ. As far as writing and content is concerned what this refers to is the factual content of the piece, the hard information we want the reader to know. We need to know what we what we want to say before we say it, which may sound obvious, but it’s extraordinary how often vital information is left out in error.

Less talked about is EQ, the Emotional Quotient. This is what answers the question, “What do you want the person who is going to read this piece to think about you?” “What impression do you want to make?” It’s what we mentioned in our last post about driving perception and controlling the impression you want your customers to have of you. Done well it can even govern how they respond.

The third of these constituent parts is the belief we carry. SQ is the Spiritual Quotient, which doesn’t mean an expression of where we stand with God, but does mean an expression of what we stand for as a business. Some companies talk about their Corporate Social Responsibility, their CSR, in terms of a statement about waste control, energy saving and public open days, but really SQ runs much more deeply than this. Certainly your CSR is an element of a company’s SQ, but only that. SQ talks to staff satisfaction, customer alignment, brand loyalty and a worldview shared with those who you want to persuade to think of themselves as being stakeholders in your future. Think Apple with Steve Jobs at the helm, think, perhaps of your favourite football club, or make of car, or maybe Starbucks…you get the idea.