As a rainmaker, we want to be helpful and efficient. Our time is valuable and that of our client even more. That’s why we must master communication. Effective communication means ideally more listening than speaking. And when it comes to speaking, simple language works the best.
We often observe situations where people think that selling is a talking sport and success is measured by their words per hour. The people at the other side of the table then have to filter for the necessary information or will be just left confused. I wonder how many great solutions couldn’t help solve real problems because the messenger did a poor job.
There is a remarkable story found in Charlie Munger’s Poor Charlies Almanack that illustrates the problem:
“A honeybee normally goes out and finds the nectar and then comes back and does a dance that communicates to the other bees where the nectar is. The other bees then go out and get it. Well, a scientist decided to see how well a honeybee would do with a handicap. He put the nectar straight up. Way up. Well, in a natural setting, there is no nectar a long way straight up, and the poor honeybee doesn’t have a genetic program that is adequate to handle what she now has to communicate. You might guess this honeybee would come back to the hive and slink into a corner, but she doesn’t. She comes into the hive and does this incoherent dance. Well, all my life, I’ve been dealing with the human equivalent of that honeybee. “
Charlie Munger, In The Psychology of Human Misjudgement, Poor Charlies Almanack, p. 490
Luckily, we have a better genetic program for communication than the poor little honeybee. It allows us to explain the complex in simple terms – if we put in the mental work beforehand.
The Anecdote
As for keeping things simple, there is a real story from the 1960s. It’d also serve as an excellent joke for your next cocktail party (depending on the audience). Nonetheless, It perfectly illustrates the point of simplicity:
Going to space comes with many challenges. NASA scientists tried to solve an elementary problem during the big “space race” in the 1960s between NASA and the Russian space agency. The NASA astronauts needed a tool for writing things down. Unfortunately, regular ink pens wouldn’t work in zero gravity. So, to address the issue, NASA funded a scientific research project. It cost millions of dollars and took many years to develop the mighty “ball pen” that would even work in space.
Now, naturally, Russian cosmonauts had the same problem. They had to write things down in zero gravity. And what did the Russian space agency do to solve the problem?
They just gave them simple pencils.
How to practice
Learn and understand
- Listen to the customer and understand their world. You might find one or more problems you could help solve with your capabilities.
- Recite your understanding of the problems in your own words. Ideally, you can summarize it better than the customers themselves.
- Get your understanding of the problem confirmed verbally in the meeting. After the meeting, summarize the points and ask for a quick written confirmation.
Match your solution to the problem
- Once you’ve understood the problem, think about a solution. Think about it. It must kill the customer problem and be as simple as possible.
- You might have standardized products or services. Ask yourself: What features are essential for solving the problem? Focus on those crucial features and ignore the other dozens of things your product can do.
We bought a new car last year, and my only concern was to fit three children’s seats next to each other. I needed a vehicle to transport my family from A to B (my customer problem), and I ignored all the other features than space in the backseats. Luckily, the car dealer was a real rainmaker. He listened to me, understood the problem, and talked less. Then he just let me put all the kids in the back on their seats. Good for him and us: The test worked, and he made the sale.
Explain the solution in simple terms
- Explain your solution to the customer as simply as possible.
- Keep your language short and precise.
- Don’t use acronyms and abbreviations that only insiders understand. They make it harder for people to follow you. A conversation with a living “abbreviation machine gun” is not a good customer experience.
No matter is too complex that you cannot try to simplify it in a way that most people can understand. Simplification, of course, requires your understanding first. You then deconstruct the matter into its essential parts and translate it into a simple story.
Take them by their hands
- Always describe the next step in the process from the first meeting to the final delivery.
- At the end of every stage, ensure your spokesperson is ready to go with you to the next step.
Keep your process simple. Take your customer by hand and outline the sales process at the beginning. For instance, say, “This meeting here is the first step. Here we want to get to know each other, and I want to understand your problem. After that meeting, I will follow up with a summary before I present you our offer in the next meeting.”