This week the question is – Are all of your team members speaking the same language?
Our journey in this early part of 2024 is revisiting the 5 V’s of which we have looked at Vision, Values, and Vehicles so far. Today we revisit the Vocabulary that either exists or does not exist in your organization.
Your platform of having a vision for where the organization is headed is in place. You have defined the Core Values which will guide the decision-making process so that a consistent and focused outcome can be realized. You have defined the necessary products, services, and some market ideas for those vehicles. The question remains – do all the people in your organization use a common vocabulary to express, invite, and explain your business and the benefits it brings to the marketplace and the consumers of your offerings?
This is another of those parts of operating your business that might seem very simple. It can be overlooked as just too easy and not requiring much input or structure because there is a belief that the people in the business actually understand at the deepest level what you do and how it is done. Unfortunately, this is far from the reality we have witnessed in the marketplace.
For example, we live in a time where technology, such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones is everywhere. Children as young as 1 or 2 years of age are exposed to these tools and used as part of the parental distraction process. The TV is still another tool in that arsenal, but the smartphone is more mobile and a primary choice. One might conclude that due to this early and regular exposure to such devices teenagers and young people would have a full understanding as to the business use of such tools. They are more likely than not to understand very specific application use and capabilities but not necessarily the breadth and width of the tool’s complete usability.
The same is true for your organization’s capabilities. As the leader you might believe everyone is on the same page as it relates to how to explain what your business offers and how it is differentiated from competitors in the marketplace. I have watched salespeople explain a product or service telling all about how it works but never helping the consumer to understand what problem or challenge it helps solve and thus would be good to purchase for that benefit. I have watched an owner of the business jump into a conversation to expound not on the tools’ intricacies of how to use them but to expand on how they make the consumers’ lives easier, better, more enhanced. This exposes that the organization does not have a consistent vocabulary and how to apply it to help their customers be more successful.
By taking time to capture the key vocabulary that articulates the best elements of the business and then having those elements used consistently across your company and customer base, there is less likely for misinformation to be spread or misunderstood in the marketplace.
This week I challenge you as the business leader to think back on interactions with your sales team, support team, and customers and identify the differences that have surfaced as a result of the consumer being told and hearing different stories from your company representatives. Each member of your team put their own spin on the details and inadvertently either over-emphasized one piece while diluting something else which later becomes the point of contention when the outcomes or result is not what the buyer was anticipating. Your consistent vocabulary simplifies and focuses on better outcomes for all involved.
In reviewing your vocabulary, consider reaching out to JKL Associates and seeing if a Promise Guide engagement might be what you need to get everyone talking the same language. Give us a call at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246.
Journey On!
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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
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