The Tactics Behind Crystal-Clear Explanations

In the course of explaining, use the fewest words possible to connect the features of your products to the benefits of the customers' goals. Your explanations take into account the following six guidelines:

1. Simple. Use your customer's terms and jargon to explain technical features and benefits. Remember, your goal is to make customers feel smart about their business decisions, not dumb about technical details that might not have any impact on their decisions. Limit your technical knowledge to the features that produce measurable benefits, nothing else.

   Example

   Explaining the waterproof feature of a watch as being a "hermetically sealed chamber resistant to external pressures of seven atmospheres before liquid infiltration occurs" is technobabble. Explaining how it only leaks at 250 feet or deeper is plain English.

2. Vivid. Use descriptions that create powerful images.

   Example

   Saying that the face cover of a watch is scratch resistant is boring. Explaining how the watch can land facedown after falling from a three-story building and still look brand-new is exciting. It may not work any longer, but it will look brand-new.

3. No Return. Stay focused on one measurable benefit and its features, exhaust them, and then go to the next. To keep momentum building and to keep customer comprehension high, do not go back and speak about a benefit you have already covered.

   Example

   Explain all the features (construction, material, and warranty) of the watch that improve quality as a group. Mixing them with features that increase functions (stopwatch, countdown timer, and alarm) could confuse customers.

4. Analogies. As illustrated in Chapter 2, provide everyday parallels that the customer can relate to. Typically, choose a unique strength to build your analogy around.

   Example

   Explain the watch's wireless connection to your e-mail as an electronic post office box on your wrist. You receive your mail anywhere.

   Note

   Competitors' use of analogies tells you about how they try to sell value. An abundance of them indicates they are customer oriented (keep things simple)—a lack of them suggests a product orientation that rely on technically astute customers

5. Power Words. Use terms that express confidence such as confident, convinced, or know and avoid using weak words such as think, feel, maybe, or might.

   Example

   Do not say, "I think you will be pleased with the watch's performance." Your display of enthusiasm will underwhelm customers and probably cast doubt on their purchasing decisions. Instead, boldly proclaim, "I know the watch will exceed your expectations." When you know measurable benefits of goals and conditional commitments, you know how much value your products provide. While the meek may inherit the earth, they do not get the sale.

6. Do Not Use "Never" or "Always." You do not want to put yourself in an awkward position if exceptions exist—and exceptions always, oops, often, seem to surface.

   Example

   Do not say the watch never needs an adjustment. Rather, say that it should not. However, if it ever does, there is no charge for the service.