Company's Bobble-headed Explanation Is A Strikeout
When you explain your company's products or services to your customers, you know what you're talking about (or you should) ... do they? Too often we insiders forget to translate our business-speak and our customers end up bobble-head nodding with a glazed stare as we cheerfully confuse them.
Confusion does little to engender trust or build relationships.
When I wrote promotional copy trying to explain the wonders and workings of life insurance products, I would occasionally run my golden words past my wife or friends to ensure the gobbledigook made sense to these "outsiders." Once we got past the bobble-head moment and I got my explanation through to them, they often said, "Oh, you mean it does ..." and I had my re-write. Never underestimate the value of an ignorant eye.
Try running your material past your uninitiated target audience. You may find your clear, simple explanation is as effective as this baseball description:
Baseball is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.
When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out. The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.
Got that?
(Thanks to http://www.crosswalk.com/fun/ for the Baseball description)
