Sales Lessons from Simple-Speak
Sales Lessons from Simple-Speak
By Tom Richard
Immediately after dropping off breakfast for me and my brother, the waitress was suddenly overcome with sheer excitement. It was as if she had remembered something incredibly important, or maybe had just a few too many cups of coffee. She leaned in and exclaimed, “I’ll be right back with some ketchup for you!”
The waitress scurried away, returning a few seconds later with a bottle of ketchup, which she proudly placed square in the middle of the table. With her hands on her apron, she admired her job well done.
Puzzled, my brother and I looked at each other. Did anyone actually ask for ketchup? No. We hate ketchup with breakfast. Even the thought of ketchup with breakfast makes my brother sick. Yet, because the waitress liked ketchup, she thought we would like ketchup. So, we were stuck sitting there staring at a bottle of ketchup throughout the entire breakfast.
Like the waitress, salespeople often act with best intentions, but fail to realize that customers may not be as excited about their product as they are. Jumping the gun and acting as if everybody is as excited about one product or feature may leave you with just a blank, confused stare from your customer.
Take the copier salesperson, who rushes to tell his customer about the new dual reversing copy feature that is revolutionizing the market. What? Or the textile rental salesperson that excitedly tells the customer that their garments are made with Fortrel. Huh? Or the radio advertising salesperson that calls with a special deal on getting an ad placed during a new show that the customer has never heard of.
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P.S I won't share or sell your detailsMy friend, take a step back and remember where your customers are coming from. They do not spend 40 hours a week thinking about your products like you do. They know what they know; you know what you know. Don’t assume it’s the same thing.
Behind every great product, every great feature, and every exciting change to your catalogue of goods lies something the customer actually does care about. It is up to you, not them, to figure out what it is and what that means for them.
Keep the excitement because it can sell products often more effectively than actual product knowledge. However, make sure that the excitement is easy to decipher. Don’t make your customers buy the Salesperson’s Dictionary of Jargon just to understand you. Change how you deliver that excitement; convert your product knowledge into simple-speak.
With simple-speak, the copier salesperson can excitedly tell their customer that they’d be happy to know about the dual reversing copy feature, since they spend so much time copying driver’s licenses. They can assure their customer that it will cut down on time and money spent in their office, and that seeing this feature in action will make them just as excited about the product.
Simple-speak allows the textile rental salesperson to explain how their new garments will keep their team cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. When the customer’s team tries these garments on, they will be just as excited as the salesperson who sold it.
When blessed with simple speak, the radio advertising salesperson can explain that the company’s new show is going to really make a splash in the market. The popularity of the new show will therefore increase the advertiser’s popularity. Knowing this, the customer will be just as excited about this rare opportunity.
Now take a moment and reevaluate your excitement. Are you muddying up your delivery with jargon and ill-placed energy?
Retain the energy and excitement, but boil down the product information. Use language that is so easy to understand that even a second grader could understand it. You’ll guarantee that your customers won’t be staring at your product wondering, who asked for the ketchup?
Tom Richard conducts seminars on sales and customer service topics nationwide. Tom is also the author of Smart Salespeople Don't Advertise: 10 Ways to Outsmart Your Competition With Guerilla Marketing, and publishes a free weekly ezine on selling skills titled Sales Muscle. To subscribe to this free weekly ezine go to http://www.tomrichard.com/subscribe
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