Do Customers Understand What You’re Saying?
Maybe some of your customers enjoy talking shop with their residential contractor, but most don’t – because they don’t know, understand or even care about the technical terms and processes that fill your day. Generally, they want to know what you can do to help make their home comfortable, energy-efficient and safe or add value, convenience and beauty.
Anyone interacting with customers should be able to speak in a basic “what’s in it for me?” kind of language. And that sounds like this: Instead of “I’ll go get the auger out of my truck,” it’s “I’ll clear that drain for you.” Or instead of explaining the principles of cross-connection, tell them, “We want to make sure your wastewater doesn’t contaminate your clean water.”
Customers don’t want to be confused or feel that you’re trying to impress them with your knowledge. They’re not hoping for a lengthy explanation of the seasonal energy efficiency ratio. But they would like to hear, “Save money on your energy bills.” Their eyes might glaze over if you bring up air change rates and ventilation processes. But they’ll listen to, “We want to make sure the air your family breathes isn’t harmful to their health.”
Donald Miller, who knows a lot about talking to your audience, recommends that you print out the pages of your website and circle every word that could conceivably be considered business jargon. But don’t stop there – because you also want to apply this principle to your direct mail letters, your social media posts, your customer newsletters and your in-home service calls.
Look for the “customer-friendly translation” when addressing a customer problem. For example, instead of talking about the value of Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS), explain, “This is how you can protect your valuable electronics from lightning strikes during a thunderstorm.” Instead of getting into details about parts of a system that break down over time, try, “Don’t worry about repairs.”