Don't Assume They Understand

Can we be so immersed in our products or services that we actually turn off or disengage our clients or prospects?

Here's something that recently happened that I feel compelled to share so that you, too, don't make the same mistake in your sales presentations.

I was recently involved in a vendor presentation. This vendor (I'll call them XYZ Media) specializes in helping businesses leverage the Internet and some of the bells and whistles of Web 2.0. If you don't know what I mean by Web 2.0, don't fret. I didn't either until recently.

In a nutshell, Web 2.0 is not a new piece of computer software, but rather a term coined for the current trend or revolution in how people share information and collaborate using a collection of tools over the Internet. Web 2.0, comes with it's own unique terminology. "Widget", "wiki", "social networking", "blog", and "blidget" are just a few.

These are all relatively new terms that most people aren't familiar with and can't define unless they are really immersed in Internet marketing. For a more detail definition, click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.

During the sales presentation, both the account representative and president of XYZ Media started throwing around all of these new terms. As a marketing professional, I understood some of the terms. But the other people attending the meeting had absolutely no idea what the presenter was talking about. And, nobody bothered to interrupt to ask, "What is a widget?" or "What is a wiki and how can it help our company better market our products?"

Everyone had a lukewarm reaction to the sales presentation. It wasn't that we didn't like it. We just didn't understand it. And we were afraid to ask questions for fear of appearing ignorant.

In this case, the presenter was so close to the product that she didn't bring the presentation down to the novice level. She assumed that her audience members were better informed.

Prior to making a presentation or sales pitch, go on a fact finding mission to discover how much you audience may or may not no about your products. Do one of the following:

1. Ask your contact to provide feedback on the attendees. Ask probing questions and throw out some terms and concepts to make sure they understand what you are talking about.
   Email a survey or questionnaire.
   
2. Ask participants to rank on a scale from 1-5 how familiar they are with terms and concepts. If most people understand, you're fine. If they are novices, you may need to educate them prior to the presentation.
   
3. Create a glossary or interject definitions into your presentation. Attendees will appreciate your efforts to educate them and can review a printed glossary at their leisure. They will also feel more comfortable if you introduce a new term and ask, "Does everyone know what a "widget" is?"

Whether creating sales collateral, building a PowerPoint, or making a sales pitch, we all need to better understand our audience. We are the product experts and it's our job to educate our audience, even if it means explaining the basics. It's better to give them too much information than too little.

If you'd like to discuss how BTK & Associates can help your business stand out in a crowd, visit my website at http://www.btkmarketing.com/.