Last Friday I had the good fortune of speaking at a conference in Puerto Vallarta. As it turned out there were only two English speaking presenters at the entire conference so our speeches were translated via simultaneous interpretation. This meant that we needed to ensure our presentations could be easily translated and understood by the audience.
This sounds like an easy task; however, I have learned that phrases, slang and idioms that are common in North America don’t always translate effectively into another language.
So, how does this applies to sales?
Too often sales people use jargon, technical terms, acronyms, and other language that sounds foreign to their prospect or customer.
When I worked in consumer electronics, sales people constantly referred to product numbers when talking to customers. Because they worked with the products every day, they were familiar with the SKU numbers but their customers were not.
When you deliver a sales presentation (formal or informal) it is critical that you ensure that your presentation doesn’t get lost in translation. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the other person’s attention, or worse, alienating them.
Before every sales call or meeting you need to consider the person(s) you’re speaking with, their level of knowledge and expertise, and their position. Then you need to adapt your approach accordingly.
Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the presentation from their prospect’s perspective. They forget that the other person may not understand the terminology. They don’t realize that their prospect may not be familiar with common acronyms or other jargon.
Take the time to simplify your approach before every sales call, appointment or meeting. Eliminate jargon, acronyms and other language that may sound foreign to the other person.
Make it easy for your customer or prospect to understand you and your presentation won’t get lost in translation.
Looking for a speaker for an upcoming meeting? I deliver keynote presentations and training workshops for any size group. Call me and we can discuss your specific objectives. 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca
In recent weeks I have become intrigued by the television show, “The Dog Whisperer”, starring Cesar Millan. I admit that I am fascinated how quickly he assesses a situation and how effectively he transforms a dog’s behavior. However, what I find most interesting is that it is usually the owner’s behavior that requires adjustment.
More often than not, the owner of the “troubled” dog fails to behave properly to a given situation. That’s because people respond in terms that make sense to humans, not dogs.
The same concept applies to sales and selling.
Many sales people rely on their instinct when dealing with prospects, buyers and decision makers. This can manifest itself in many ways:
- they don’t look at the buying decision from the prospect’s perspective
- they fail to fully uncover their prospect’s buying motives
- they don’t address the internal challenges a buyer or prospect faces when making a decision
- they use jargon or terminology that their prospect does not understand
- they rush for the close
Ultimately, the reason a sale doesn’t move forward or a prospect doesn’t make a buying decision or use your solution is because you have failed to communicate in their language.
Sales people are usually focused on getting a sale or closing a deal. Unfortunately, most people selling a product or service don’t grasp or comprehend the complexities of business. They rely on their standard pitch which does not help their prospect understand how they, or their company, will benefit.
One of Milan’s favourite mantra’s is, “calm, assertive.”
Sales people need to be assertive.
We need to take a leadership role. We need to understand the buying process from our prospect’s perspective.
That means we need to ask the right questions to gain deep insight into our prospect’s problems and what factors will influence the decision making process. We need to speak their language. And, instead of focusing on the outcome (getting a sale), we need to invest more time getting into our prospect’s mind.
Sales people also need to exercise a calm behaviour.
Corporate decision makers are under a tremendous amount of pressure to produce results and they don’t always behave rationally—at least not from a sales person’s perspective. Rather than getting defensive when someone challenges you or getting frustrating when a sale doesn’t move forward at the speed you expect, you need to calmly look at the decision—from your prospect’s viewpoint.
I’m not a dog owner but I can say with certainty that Cesar Millan has taught me a thing or two about becoming a better sales person and increasing my sales.
In Case You Didn’t Know
I help sales people master their sales conversations so they can win more deals. If I can help you or your company please give me a call: 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca
