Explain your "AFJ". If you know what I mean!
How many times have you been stumped or even just slowed down when reading about a product or service by an acronym or expression that seems unfamiliar? How do you feel when this happens? Two rules to help your customers.
Today I was reading my daughter’s school newsletter. In the middle of a paragraph I came across three initials. I stopped reading and wondered for a moment “what on earth are they talking about?” I did quickly realise that it was in fact the initials of the proper school name. Trouble is I have never sent the school referred to my these initials before. Not a big deal and I was able to move on, but I made me think, how often do I use acronyms or terms that are not immediately obvious to my readers? Well I hope you would tell me, but I’m sure some have slipped through.
Be sensitive…
…to how you make people feel. How does it make a person feel when unfamiliar jargon is used? I guess somewhere between stupid and annoyed. With this morning’s school initials I definitely erred on the side of feeling very foolish.
I think you would agree that to say or write something that would make a client or customer feel either silly or angry would not be good. So the solution is to explain your AFJ, oh sorry I mean “Acronym For Jargon” (and yes, I did make that up), before you use it.
Acronyms save time…
…but only if they are understood. Lets take the example of a very important concept is sales and marketing, your unique selling proposition (or point). This is the one thing that sets you apart from your competitors. All businesses should determine their uniqueness and play this up in order to win ahead of their competitors. Most of you will be familiar with this idea, but what if you were not.
Rule #1…Acronyms Afterwards
I recommend using the full expression first, and then put the acronym in brackets afterwards. Many people do this the other way around but I don’t agree and here’s why.
If I said “you should determine your USP (unique selling proposition)…” the brackets imply that the explanation is for those so out of touch they need the expression explained. In other words you are actually excluding those for whom this expression is new or unfamiliar. By putting the words the other way around, “you should determine your “unique selling proposition” (USP)….” It suggests that from now on I am going to use the shorthand of the acronym in order to save time and space, it does not assume you do or do not know what it means.
Rule #2…Rule of Jargon
In my rule book for good sales practices, I always say “don’t use jargon unless the customer has used it first”.
The same is true here though if you really want to introduce jargon. Explain yourself first.
Some people I work with are not familiar with the word prospect. When working with someone who is perhaps a therapist or healer for example they may well not be at all familiar with such concepts in sales and marketing. So I tend to say it this way…”so approach someone who might be interested in using your services, or prospect, I recommend…”. There is no harm in using a full set of words, even with someone who will be used to the expression, but it really helps if you don’t know if they know…etc..
How do you know…
…if you are using jargon? After all these are probably expressions so familiar to your that it is difficult to know, understand or even believe, that they are not everyday words and phrases.
First of all, you will catch most of the industry specific or technical language if you just think it through. In the first pass of your copy or script you will spot most examples. A slight adjustment to wording or word order will overcome this very quickly.
The second way of course is to then have someone you believe to be outside your speciality to read through your text or listen to what you say. If in doubt ask a teenager as they may not be well versed in business and are often not shy to show you up…J
Is this being condescending?
By sticking to the practice of using normal language first and then the acronym or jargon if you want to, you do avoid sounding condescending.
Of course we can all think of examples when the acronym is likely to be more familiar than the full expression. I think of GDP and APR, financial expressions that I either recognise or understand, sometimes without even being able to think of the exact words they represent. (APR stands for Annual Punitive Rate doesn’t it?) It can be a fine line, but as always, the acid test is to ask your customers, clients or ‘prospects’. Feedback on how you are doing is always invaluable.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 11:25AM
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