I was recently on race duty with British Triathlon in Australia and came across a great example of a Hook. Apple used a Hook for the iPod launch that worked extremely well given the alternative was a large CD or cassette players "1,000 songs in your pocket". The Hook grabbed the attention and the product quality closed the sale, 236,000 sales in the first year. A Hook is a single phrase that conveys the reason why someone would want your offering.

We all know that our prospects are busy and do not have time to pay attention to all the information offered. If you want people to remember who you are what you're offering, you have to grab their attention and hold it - in seconds.

The photo below was taken in Sydney CBD of a young man who simply had a sign with his tagline on the front and email address on the back. He had a steady stream of inquiries from his prospects over the 10 minute period I watched.

As demonstrated, when creating a Hook you need to concentrate on the primary benefit your offer provides. Emphasize what's uniquely valuable about your offer and why a prospect should care. Start by listing a number of words that associate this and then begin to experiment with different ways to connect them. This is a creative exercise and the more options you can create the better. Your hook then needs to be placed on websites, advertising, business cards so it is one of the first things your prospects engage with.

Remember, the Hook grabs attention and marketing/ sales activities close the deals. The better the Hook the more likely prospects are to tell their friends...

(This example could have been a fantastic PR stunt...)

Photo (instagram): suz_farrell