I was talking to a colleague recently and she explained about a new contract she was excited about. She's been retained to teach salespeople how to speak English. Not as a second language, for those of you who thought that. The problem the company has, and it's a big company, is that the salespeople can't even understand what they're saying. That's how far out of synch their company's marketing messaging is with reality.
It starts with the Research and Development folks who create the products. Usually engineers or scientists or technology masters -- suffice it to say specialists with their own language. They write up the preliminary descriptions and datasheet information. The company's marketing people were packaging their messaging up to look killer, but the value propositions weren't clear to a business user, nor to the salesperson who was reciting them in presentations.
In short, everyone was confused. Value was muddled and lost somewhere in the rhetoric. Jargon unfamiliar to business users was incomprehensible to them and when they asked for explanations, the salespeople weren't armed with the English version to clear it up.
Usually I talk about the online tools and interactions your companies can utilize and create to accomplish building relationships and earning trust. But, the issue of how and what you communicate as your value deliverable is as important, or more so, than the tools you use to do it with. If the messaging isn't clear to a business user who isn't in your field of expertise, who are you really helping?
Just a little food for thought. Take a look at the marketing materials you provide to your salespeople and see how much English is in use. Before you do this, put yourself into the persona of your customers and prospects. Think like they'd think. You might be surprised at what you find.
How are you translating your specialists verbiage?
