The reading level for this article is All Levels
Many people get tempted to use the fancy phrases that they use on a regular basis, in their marketing materials. Problem is they end up speaking "above" their prospects’ heads.
I see this use of jargon all too often when visiting people’s websites and in networking groups. My impression is there’s a lack of confidence in there somewhere and people are trying to compensate by trying to sound overly professional or fancy. Well, the result is that not only are people’s eyes glazing over, they’re also probably losing lots of potential clients that way, and not to mention, lots of potential referrals.
Only people in your industry know what you mean when you use fancy words that are meant to exclude, rather than include. A potential client is not always part of YOUR industry and as such, they won’t really understand all the technical stuff. Besides, they don’t care WHAT you do, remember? They only care about what you can do for THEM.
So, skip the jargon, will you? It’s time to pretend that your audience and referral partners are 6-year olds, and not as an insult, but rather, as a way to have what you say be:
- memorable
- easy to understand
- repeatable
That’s why I don’t talk about fancy marketing plans or closing-the-sale scripts in my own marketing materials. All I basically talk about is, More Clients, In Record Time and Consistently.
Client example: A couple of years ago, a client came to me saying he was having a difficult time getting additional clients, mostly, getting attention from his prospects long enough to turn them into paying clients.
Once I heard his marketing message, I understood EXACTLY what the problem was and it came down to just one word: "fiduciary." Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first met him, I didn’t really use that word frequently (to tell you the real honest truth, I didn’t know what it meant) and I suspected his prospects didn’t either.
Instead of talking on the prospect’s level, this client was speaking in nothing but jargon and he realized it was becoming a big turnoff. Basically, business was literally slipping through his fingers because of it.
Once I explained to him what was going on, he switched his marketing message from providing complicated "fiduciary and 401K services" to "taking the financial piles of paper off the desks of HR people," and guess what? Yup, he has more business than he can handle now. (I love this client. He totally GOT it, once I pointed it out. Whenever I see him, we now laugh about "fiduciary.")
Your Assignment:
Make sure you phrase your marketing message and claim in everyday terms, preferably results. Practice on a 6-year old child, if you can. Tell the child your marketing message and ask them to tell you what you do.
Believe me; kids are smarter than most adults are on this stuff, so if they can’t repeat it, your prospects and referral sources probably won’t know what you do either. It all comes down to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, sweetheart!).
By the way, there are dozens of worksheets in the Client Attraction Home Study System™ that will help you create a marketing message that will appeal to the right types of clients for you. You’ll also learn how to decipher what makes your business remarkable enough for others to talk about, how to create Raving Fans so you get clients to call YOU, and lots of other crucial stuff to help you fill your practice really quickly. You can read more about it and get a copy at www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Why struggle when you can just attract clients easily?)
