December 23, 2019
Do you want an NPK of 26-0-3 or 36-0-6?
Sent by Jonathan Stark on December 26th, 2019
Unless you’re selling to your peers, you almost certainly shouldn’t be using the jargon of your craft to talk to your clients, customers, prospects, or leads.
What do I mean by jargon?
Here’s a definition from Google:
Jargon—special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand
Here are some examples of jargon from different disciplines…
- a typographer talking about kerning
- a photographer talking about f/stop
- a copywriter talking about perfect progressive
- a lawyer talking about ex parte
- a landscaper talking about NPK
- a developer talking about technical debt
- a designer talking about grid systems
I don’t care how important or self-evident you think your particular jargon is, it is difficult for your buyers to understand. And using language that is difficult for your potential buyers to understand is a Very Bad Idea™.
It’s like telling jokes in French to a Spanish-speaking crowd. No laughs, no connection, no value, no sale.
It is part of your job to connect with your buyers. And learning their language is a heck of a lot easier than teaching them yours.
Yours,
—J