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April 26, 2016 at 12:30 AM
Knowledge should be one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox.
Knowing how to use specialized industry vocabularies should also be one of our basic power tools.
In reality, for many of us, knowledge and specialized lingo are powerful … in costing us business.
Naturally, a great many new salespeople are tempted to try to impress prospects and clients by demonstrating their product knowledge and slinging around their newly learned industry vocabulary. These salespeople tend to oversell, answer questions no prospect has ever had, or dazzle with words with which the prospect or client may not be familiar.
They talk about the fine points of their product or service; discuss how their service or product will impact ROI; how best to onboard new employees, products or services; how their product or service creates a new paradigm to address the prospect’s issues or needs, and the list goes on.
Impact ROI? I see, you mean whether or not it makes me more money than it costs. Onboarding new employees or products or services? I get it, you mean purchasing and integrating a new product or service, or hiring and training a new employee. Creating a new paradigm to address issues or needs? You mean a different way of dealing with the problem, right?
You can say ROI, onboarding or paradigm, or you could just talk to your prospect. Remember that if you want credibility with your prospects and clients, you have to speak their language. I don’t have a problem with that in the least — if you’re actually speaking your prospect’s language. But how many prospects actually talk about “onboarding” a new product or service, or creating a “new paradigm” to address an issue or problem? And there’s certainly something to be said about just talking to the prospect in plain English.
