How do you explain your business to a prospective client? Do you launch into a prepared sales pitch, infused with industry parlance — or do you try to simplify to make your offerings relatable to a non-expert? Editing the tech-speak without dumbing down your value is a tricky balance.
As an authority, you know your craft inside-out. You understand the potential pitfalls, the manufacturing process or delivery system, not to mention the sales cycle, channel strategy and profit margins. So explaining it should be easy – right?
Often, it’s not. As an expert, that industry jargon, chock-full of acronyms and niche-specific terms, becomes part of your everyday vocabulary. You “talk shop” without even realizing it. And when you’re speaking with potential customers, they often can’t even follow what you’re saying, much less fathom how you might help.
Translate the gibberish
Customer-facing verbiage needs to be understandable by the rookie, the would-be customer or client who needs your services. They need you, which is why they may not comprehend the expert lingo.
Your copy must illustrate not only that you understand their business, but also that your industry expertise and the solutions you offer solve problems for your customers. To accomplish those goals, start by translating the content for your website, online media, collateral materials and correspondence into customer-focused phrasing.
Consider this example
Say you’re an educational consultant for children with special needs. You help families navigate the maze of paperwork and government processes to secure the extra support their children need to succeed in school. In a meeting with special education professionals, you might talk about IDEAs, IEPs, 504 plans and the U.S. Department of Education’s publication relating to mediation, state compliance procedures, due process hearings, resolution sessions and expedited due process.
But the parents of a child recently diagnosed with autism just want to know that you can help. Their child is struggling and they are overwhelmed, frustrated and in emotional pain. They can verify your credentials through their own research; what they want is assurance that you can guide them through the necessary assessments and evaluations to secure help for their child.
Don’t make potential clients wade through complicated or industry-specific jargon.
Five tips for content void of “tech-speak”
1. Tell it like it is
Start by crafting content that explains in the most basic terms how your services solve customers’ needs or wants. Measure every word and if it wouldn’t be clear to a middle schooler, revise it. Limit the description of each individual service to a couple of sentences; you can expand later as needed. (Yes, we know it’s harder to pare back to the essentials, but it’s necessary.)
2. Provide examples of how you’ve helped clients
Offer a portfolio or series of cases which each address a specific challenge and how your expertise or services helped alleviate it. A prospective customer who sees evidence that you have solved similar problems is more likely to contact you for help than one who is overwhelmed by verbose copy filled with lofty industry jargon.
3. Eliminate expert terms or define them
Natural keyword phrases will help your site get indexed by search engines and found by prospective clients. Use the vernacular phrasing that a potential customer would use in an online search to find someone with your knowledge or skills. Consider including a glossary or FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to explain complex terms or industry terminology.
4. Create an emotional connection
A potential client is facing a challenge that you can help resolve. He may feel overwhelmed, frustrated or ill-equipped and unable to move forward. Envision yourself in the client’s shoes to gain empathy for their perspective; then capitalize on that emotion in your content. Utilize language that captures the relief the customer will feel with you as his advocate, skillfully addressing his obstacles.
5. Offer proof
Include testimonials or reviews which attest to how you solved specific problems for your customers. While credentials and experience enhance credibility, potential clients value the perspective of those who have worked with you. When requesting reviews from past clients, ask them to address particular aspects of your services that may cause a prospect to hesitate.
Take a few minutes to see how your content measures up against these recommendations.
Need help decoding the tech-speak?
This post was previously published on OnlineAmplify.com and has been refreshed for relevance and timeliness.
