Think about it, should we blow our own trumpet or kazoo? Should we use the trunk on the car and wipe the windshield? Or are we more likely to use the boot and wipe the windscreen?
Speaking the language and terminology of your customers is extremely important, if we don’t do this we risk a disconnect or at worst complete confusion (and no sale).
Language and phrases your customers use need to be reflected (or mirrored) in your language, for example:
Customer “I am looking for a big safe car”
Salesperson “Yes madam this estate car has a 5 star euro NCAP safety rating”
It means approximately the same thing, but if the customer doesn’t grasp that then it becomes a disconnect and a potential barrier to achieving a sale.
How do you go about avoiding this?
You need to actively listen to your customers, many new salespeople seem to forget that listening is one of the fundamental cornerstones of selling, but so is putting that listening to use – make sure you have captured exactly what the customer says rather than an interpretation (or worse) what you think they said.
As a consumer (either personally or in business) one of the biggest frustrations is not being listened to or being misunderstood, so having someone engage in a conversation where the other party listens to you and understands you is what we all generally want.
The language you use and the way you present back information is critical in building rapport and a good relationship with your customer (whether they are a consumer or a business).
Don’t forget either that use of language also relates to the written word. I recently reviewed an email that one of our customers had asked me to glance over (it was about a page and half). I read the email two or three times and had to ask – “so what is it you’re selling?”. Keeping language and words as simple as possible can be very effective, avoiding jargon, or acronyms is critical – the last thing any business can afford to do is to confuse its customers!
Lastly – why do I specifically mention the kazoo – well at New Results Training we are a UK based sales development company based on over 40 years practical hands on sales experience in UK markets, we are not a organisation that has bought a franchised sales business. We believe the language we use should match you, our customers, and the work we deliver should be based on real life experience not read from a book – I would be interested in your thoughts!
Image sourced from Pixabay
