Speak your customer's language. - Original Post Feb 1st 2010

Something I try to do at all times, is speak proper, but I was reminded of the importance of this last week as I received a bemused reply to an email. By "speak proper", I mean of course speak the language of the person I'm dealing with.

Language develops within the groups who speak it. Cockney Rhyming Slang is said to have developed to prevent outsiders from understanding what the local were on about, and the same happens in industries, and companies.

If you're an expert or specialist in your field, then the chances are you suffer from the "curse of knowledge". The curse of knowledge is something I first encountered in a book called "Made to Stick", which I'd recommend if your work involves ever needing to get your message across (and which I'm going to be re-reading soon).

The curse of knowledge is that once you know something it's hard to imagine what it's like not to know it. (I give a great presentation on this subject)

You may know what you mean when you say "data-driven Internet security solution", "gateway threat prevention" or "purchase-led cause related marketing", but does the person you're talking to?

Every industry has them. Even Barnardo's, internally, has a wealth of TLAs (three letter acronyms), CAA, AAD, HOF, F&C (not effing C). We don't use them when we speak to anyone else.

The chances are, I don't care if you "seize real-time technologies", or "morph e-business mindshare", I just want you to stop my computer from filling up with spam. Or keep the swine flu from the door and windows of my computer, or get my customers finding me before they find my competitors.

So if your customer asks you for virus protection, don't think "why would he want to protect viruses?", think, you want me to stop nasty stuff getting into your system? We do that. You might want to add, "we call it....", but the chances are, if your customer is like me, (s)he'll glaze over.

Speak the words your customer wants to hear, that way they'll be your customer.

DON'T use anything that you can create, here. (and see if you can spot the ones I got here too.)

Posted via email from mikemuses's posterous