I got some unsettling feedback a few weeks ago. I was told I was a “Brainiac”. I want to help you avoid the same fate.
At first, I thought it was a compliment. It sounded rather flattering. OK I think I would like to be know as that. But then the next part of the feedback came. “And the client said he had no idea what you were talking about.” Uh oh!
In the Ear of the Beholder
One of my roles for this client is to help them sell more complicated services than their salespeople do on a day-to-day basis. This role is somewhat like a sales engineer. I accompany salespeople to meetings where the prospect has an interest in these types of services. Many of these prospects have very little technical background.
For about the last twenty years I have prided myself on my ability to “translate tech speak” into English. I have gotten feedback on many occasions that I am good at that.
Now it seems however that I have met my match. Despite my confidence that I think I can turn “tech babble” into English, I have encountered a prospect that did not know what I was talking about…and in my experience when that happens, it’s no sale every time!
No gobbledygook!
Over the years, I’ve worked with many technology companies that were unable to describe what they do in actual English. They used descriptions like “128-bit encryption with blockchain algorithms”. Prospects eyes glazed over rapidly as these executives spoke to them about their amazing products.
I’ve taken a stand against that kind of gobbledygook in marketing materials, emails, websites and conversations with prospects. I’ve tried to translate every bit of jargon into words normal people (like your grandma) would understand. And up to this point, I thought I was doing well.
Time for some kaizen
In this one aspect of selling, it looks like I became too comfortable. I got cocky that my skills were so good that I would never need to improve in this area. And of course, the universe just showed up to shake me out of this delusion.
It’s time for me to look at how I can improve in this area. I need to be able to explain complicated tech products to the type of prospect I am now encountering. They are the ones buying, so even if their technical knowledge is absent, I need to communicate clearly to them the value of the offering.
I have always bought in to the idea of continuous improvement. The world seems to move more and more rapidly. As soon as you rest on your laurels, you find you are losing ground. Time for some kaizen (as you may know, Japanese for continuous improvement—not jargon!)
Summary
- Don’t use gobbledygook in any of your sales or marketing. If prospects don’t understand you, they aren’t likely to buy.
- One man’s technical description is another man’s gobbledygook. Know your prospects and market well enough that you know you are being understood.
- Don’t get overconfident in any part of your sales or marketing game. The world moves so quickly that once you stop improving in that area, you are likely to be losing ground. Keep up the kaizen!