I Lost to a Pack of Fruit Snacks
Feb 13, 2026
How quickly do people understand your value?
Because if they don’t get it fast, they don’t stick around long enough to see it.
Well, this week I learned an important lesson (from an unlikely source) about how to communicate my value more effectively. The curious object in question?
Fruit snacks
Yup, the fruity flavored gummies that most people grow out of after 2nd grade. THOSE fruit snacks.
I don’t know about you, but for me, fruit snacks makes any day better. Just ask my inner 5 year old.
So this past week when I saw a box of Mott’s Assorted Fruit Snacks at the grocery store, I of course bought it and took it home, where I tried to open a little packet.
Now to be clear… I have a master’s degree.
I am the author of 2 international bestselling books.
I’ve helped very prominent companies increase their sales.
But all of that was completely USELESS as I tried to wrangle open this teeny-tiny packet of fruit snacks. I strained my muscles, I squinted till my eyeballs bulged, I gritted my teeth.
But those little gummies of goodness were more safe than gold at Fort Knox.
That is… until I saw… the notch.
(Picture: Fruit snack packets. The Fort Knox of Gummies)
You know, the little incision manufacturers make in packets to open easier?
Triumphantly I grabbed the tattered edge, and pulled. OK, I really wrenched it open…
Gummies flew and scattered everywhere over my kitchen floor.
Fruit Snacks: 1
Christian Hansen: 0
That little notch made the seemingly impossible… a lot easier. What does this have to with effective communication?
Your value, just like those fruit snacks, can make a big difference to someone.
Is it clear and obvious why your value matters? Or like me and the indestructible fruit snack packet… do people have to wrestle to “unwrap” your language and figure it out?
To put it more simply, how can you put a “tear notch” in your message so people quickly understand it?
(Picture: My “I must prepare to open a fruit snack packet” workout)
I want to share one strategy that makes your value easy to “open” for others. And it starts with a simple question:
“What has been most helpful in our conversation today?”
As I cover in Chapter 7 in “The Influence Mindset for Sales Acceleration”, the most powerful conversation in business is not the one you have. It’s the one someone else has about you when you’re not there.
AKA a potential referral.
If the strength of my personal brand is measured by another person’s ability to talk about me when I’m not in the room then how am I preparing my clients to be referral sources? How am I making my value easy to “open” and share with others?
That’s where the powerful question, “What has been most helpful in our conversation today?” comes in.
When I ask my clients that question, I am inviting them to VERBALIZE the value they’ve gained.
And as they recount our coaching session, or workshop from the day, I am actually helping them PRACTICE how to share my value (and brand) with others.
That way, the moment they walk out the door? Or meet someone at lunch? They have unknowingly REHEARSED the most powerful parts of our interaction and are prepared to describe my value to others.
In fact, they’ve already practiced it. And pretty soon, they are out there sharing MY fruit snacks with everyone they meet!
Because when it comes to communicating your value…
And when it comes to building relationships of trust…
There is no better way than having someone else… do it for you.
(Picture: What do people say about you when you aren’t in the room? How are you influencing that conversation?)
So how do you help other people tell your story on your behalf? What are the things you want them to say?
More importantly, can you see how, “What’s been most helpful in our conversation today?” can raise their abilities to share your brand easier?
Influence isn’t just about what you say. It’s about what others are prepared to say about you.
So put a notch in your message. Make your value easy to open.
And let others do the sharing… for you.
Christian
CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com
Its Like GettingĀ a 1-1 Coaching SessionĀ
Delivered to Your Inbox.
Join our mailing list to receive weekly Influence Insights that will make you the obvious choice to Decision Makers.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
