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What do you think of when someone says “sales techniques?” Perhaps something complex, sophisticated, or manipulative. Tim Wackel, a Dallas-based sales trainer, is thinking along simpler, but no less effective, lines.

In a two-minute video Mr. Wackel posted in 2017—now, alas, no longer available—he discussed two simple things one can do when a prospect say “yes” or “no.”

Yes

Send a handwritten thank-you note. Why?

Well, a quick note of thanks acknowledges the customer’s decision explicitly. And, Mr. Wackel adds, “You are affirming the relationship as you move forward, and you’re really making them feel good about this experience they’re about to participate in.” I add that a note that subtly addresses the smartness of  their purchase decision may lessen any tendency toward buyer’s remorse.

No

Why would you want to send a note to someone who has said no? After all, haven’t you just retreated from the field to lick your wounds?

Mr. Wackel knows that most salespeople don’t do anything. But he wants “to encourage you to try something different. He notes that he’s received great feedback from sending a small gift box. His contains a Tim Wackel coffee mug and a Starbucks card. And, perhaps most important, a simple note. I include his note verbatim here:

Mr. Customer,
It is often said that you should never forget a client. I prefer to do things so that clients don’t forget me. I appreciate the opportunity to compete for your business and will follow up again in 120 days to get an update on your progress. Wishing you nothing but the best.

This note keeps you on the customer’s radar and (my words) almost guarantees that they’ll think of you the next time they need what you’re offering. Particularly if the choice they made didn’t work out so well. As Mr. Wackel says, “Affirm that you had the opportunity to compete for their business and keep yourself in a great position for the next time because ladies and gentlemen, there’s always going to be a next time.”

I love these sales techniques. Yes, they’re techniques, yet IMHO, they don’t come across as sleazy or annoying. In a noisy and crowded world, we all need ways to make ourselves memorable, and I think hand-written notes do the trick quite nicely.

Vitaliy Vodolazskyy — 123rf.com

Jill Konrath, sales guru extraordinaire, wants to know if you’re making the right sales assumptions.

Back in 2017, she and colleague Dianna Geairn of The Irreverent Sales Girl mused about their big wins and how underlying sales assumptions were critical to success. They listed some 17 (!), of which I’ve chosen seven personal favorites. For the rest, go to the post, which is a less-than-five-minute read.

The header for each of these assumptions comes directly from Ms. Konrath’s post. The content under it is paraphrased, and I’ve added some comments, too. (Ms. Konrath, by the way, is an excellent writer, which is another reason to read the original post.)

Assume everyone is overwhelmed

Boy, is that ever true! So, as Ms. Konrath says, “Minimize complexity.” My former sales manager Bruce Cartier used to say, “Boil the fat out of it.” If it’s not “relevant, actionable, and valuable,” leave it out.

Assume it’s your responsibility to pique curiosity

Get creative. Try different ways to get your prospects to ask for more info.

Assume prospects want to deal with experts

Differentiate yourself from competitors by demonstrating genuine familiarity with a prospect’s business, industry, challenges, etc. My thought: These days, so many potential buyers are doing their own research, that they may feel like experts in your product or service before they ever talk to you.

Assume responsibility when you fail

Argh. This one may make you grind your teeth, because assuming responsibility is just plain tough. But Ms. Konrath and Ms. Geairn suggest that you analyze what you could have done differently. “If you don’t learn from your mistakes you’re guaranteed to repeat them.”

Assume prospects will struggle to get buy-in

Potential buyers deal must contend with influencers, the folks in purchasing, fractious users, etc. And that can slow or stall a sale. So help your prospects with the tools they need to move a deal forward. If they view you as a trusted expert, they will listen to what you have to say.

Assume buyers won’t remember anything

Too true. Our brains are jammed with information, and too many of us are trying to multitask. So follow up any contacts with a summary of key points and next steps. Your prospect is bound to be grateful, and you stay top of mind.

Assume your contact will leave the company, get downsized or go on an unexpected medical leave

This bears repeating. And not just for salespeople. If you’re in any kind of consulting or service delivery, you’re essentially in sales. It’s never a good idea to rely on a single relationship in an account, just as it’s not a good idea to rely on a single client for business.

As the old saying goes, “assumptions make an ass of you and an ass of me.” Here, though, sales assumptions are like gold, because they’re based on truth instead of faith and hope.

Christopher Titze — 123rf.com

In a wonderful HBR article, “Are You Pushing Yourself Too Hard at Work?”, executive coach Rebecca Zucker discusses burnout at work. Burnout is something we’ve probably all experienced, so it’s a good idea to tune in on its hallmarks. We need to recognize when we’re burning and what to do about it.

Here are the signs.

You don’t take time off

This is a biggie. Less than 25% of Americans take their full vacation time allotted. Yet studies of elite athletes show that they need time off to function at their peak. And so do we. Years ago, John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco, noted that his people were paid very well but, in exchange, were expected to be available 24/7/365. Jeez. (A former long-term employee I spoke to acknowledged “lean and mean” operations, saying she’d finally quit because she couldn’t sustain the pace.) What to do? Take small breaks, personal time in the evening, an occasional mental-health day, a non-work weekend.

Personal relationships take the back burner

About 75% of American workers say that work-related stress affects their relationships. Workaholics are 2x likely to get divorced. For our health’s sake, though, we need to take time to connect with others.  Ms. Zucker notes that “a lack of social relationships has the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.” If you’re not making the effort to stay connected, if others are no longer requesting your company for a social event because they think you probably will decline, “chances are you are too focused on work.”

Outside of work, you’re just not “there”

That is to say, you’re not fully present. You can’t turn work off and just be with friends and loved ones. A 2017 Glassdoor post noted that 66% of American work while on vacation. Some break. Ms. Zucker puts it beautifully: “While it’s normal to think about work periodically, it becomes a problem when we’re not able to manage our urge to give into work-related distraction, slowly eroding our most important relationships.” (Italics mine.)

Personal care takes a hit

What does that mean? Well, not skipping a shower every now and then, or working in your bathrobe? No. Neglecting personal care means not getting enough sleep, missing meals, eating junk food, not exercising, etc. for an extended period. Lack of sleep and exercise works against us—impairing higher-level cognitive function and negatively affecting mood and energy. Ms. Zucker suggests taking breaks to eat and exercise and even a short nap. I think it’s also helpful to stop periodically, sit or stand still with your hands on something physically grounding like your desk, and take 5 to 10 deep breaths.

You define your value by work

This, in my view, is hardest to overcome, because so many of us have been exhorted to study hard and gear all our other efforts toward a successful—and possibly prestigious—work life. As Ms. Zucker says, “Failure to see a broader perspective, both in terms of how you see your value … as well as how you see the importance of work relative to the rest of your life, can be a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard.” If you believe your value resides in what you produce, you’re limiting yourself. Perhaps the way through this forest of delusion is to ask others what they value about you. The answers may be surprising and, I hope, gratifying. Ms. Zucker notes that a major life event like a birth or death may broaden your perspective. She also suggests having interests outside of work.

You may have noticed a couple of italicized passages in this post. Normally, I don’t do that, the curmudgeon in me saying that good, strong writing doesn’t require special emphasis. But with a subject as important as burnout and its negative consequences, an italic or two is OK.

hasloo — 123rf.com

 

Ivan Levison, an esteemed Bay Area copywriter, has three interesting ideas about how to write better homepage copy. I tend to save his email newsletters, because they’re always full of great ideas, expressed succinctly and with lovely East Coast wit. The ideas in this post come from a 10/5/15 newsletter, but I think they’re still relevant—and not just for homepage copy.

Value-free copy

Mr. Levison calls out copy that doesn’t offer anything of value. (Bear in mind his background as a direct mail copywriter.)

His real-life example: “Welcome to XYZ Software’s on-line home. If this is your first visit, or if you are a return visitor, please tell us a little about yourself and how we can make your next visit more useful.”

His recommendation: Don’t immediately ask your visitors for information about themselves. This is a big turn-off, and visitors likely won’t return. As he put it, “If you want to capture contact information, offer something of real value for free!” He doesn’t make suggestions, but you might want to consider offering a quiz that helps prospects evaluate whether they are at the stage in their journey where your solution could help.

Empty or inane copy

Mr. Levison disapproves of vacuous copy.

His real-life example: “Welcome to ABC Software: ABC Software publishes award-winning consumer software products for health, diet, nutrition and recipes. Our mission, since 1987, is to educate consumers about healthy diets and provide information about optimum eating patterns. We are committed to improving public health.”

His recommendation: Lose the mission statement, which does not belong on your home page. Work to make your copy and your tone of voice “contemporary and lively.” I agree, but be careful not to go overboard. You don’t want to sound as though you’re trying too hard.

Flabby copy

 Mr. Levison makes note of copy that lacks logical connections.

His real-life example: “XYZ Software has been helping innovative companies provide world-class customer service via email and online transactions for more than twelve years. We know your time is valuable, and we know all too well how much time it takes to define and solve problems, before you take that first step up the learning curve.”

His recommendation: Avoid non-sequiturs, which the first and second sentence of the real life example perfectly illustrate. “Make sure your web copywriting is tight, sharp, and crisp.”

As always, I’m indebted to Mr. Levison for his quick and easy-to-digest copywriting lessons. Clearly, these three ideas apply not only to web homepage copy but also to marketing copywriting of any type. I recommend subscribing to his newsletter for a treasure trove of great marketing ideas.

merfin — 123rf.com

 

Even those who write for a living may not keep creating better translations top of mind. Because we work with people from a of variety cultures—at least in a cosmopolitan area like Silicon Valley—we tend to assume that everyone speaks and reads English pretty proficiently. We don’t think about how something we’ve written will sound when it’s translated into French or Bengali.

Val Swisher, the CEO of Content Rules and an expert in global content strategy, content development, and terminology management, thinks about better translations all the time. She finds that clients often blame translators when they learn that their translated content is poor. She comments, “Blaming the people doing the work might make sense. However, in my experience the cause of poor translation is often not the person trying their best to translate the content.”

There are three primary reasons for poor quality translations.

Poor source content

Source content is likely the first place to look. Long sentences are a big stumbling block. Ms. Swisher has seen 30-, 40-, and 50-word sentences. (Her all-time high is 95 words!) Long sentences are difficult to understand in English and impossible to translate. So limit sentences to 26 words or fewer. Grammatical errors are problematic for translators, so polish your grammar. Finally, be mindful of  tone of voice. Your company style may be warm and friendly, with “sentence fragments, made up words, and all sorts of punctuation,” but that can create a translation challenge.

Workflow issues

Ever worked on a project that was nearly finished, only to have additional input appear at the last minute? (Most writers have.) The same thing can happen during translation. Hiccups occur, when new and revised content appears late in the translation process. Software development typically requires feature freeze, and translation should require content freeze.

Another workflow issue is lack of competent in-country content review (ICR). This second set of eyes is critical. Otherwise, why go through the time, effort, and expense involved in translation?

Translation memory problems

Wikipedia defines translation memory as a database that stores previously translated content. The goal is to help human translators do their jobs faster and easier. Ms. Swisher has looked her clients’ TMs and found 1) multiple translations for the same content, 2) the same translation for the same content multiple times, and 3) mismatched source content and translations. A bloated or corrupted translation memory impacts translation quality and raises costs. The solution? Scrub your TM after every translation or at least at scheduled intervals.

The need to write for translation is not something most of us think of very often, but we should. I believe that when we consider potential translations, our own source content will be cleaner, clearer, and easier to read.

Aside from her role as CEO of Content Rules, Val Swisher is deeply involved with Translators without Borders, a humanitarian medical translation project. I think you’ll find this YouTube video inspiring.

Lamai Prasitsuwan — 123rf.com

A big thanks to Marcia Yudkin for offering a quick peek at stylometry, a field that—among other things—considers gender differences in writing. Stylometry examines sentence structure, punctuation, emotional intensity, and things vs. relationships to determine whether a writer is male or female. Note that the notion of gender differences in expression has also been furthered by the work of Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown, and the author of “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.” 

An article in the Chicago Tribune entitled “Gender shows up in writing,” draws on the work of a team of computer scientists from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Israel’s Bar-Ilan University to highlight specific gender differences in writing.

Here are a few of the differences the team—Shlomo Argamon, Moshe Koppel, Jonathan Fine, and Anat Rachel Shimoni­—came up with:

• Women use terms that apply to relationships, such as for and with, more often than men.
• Men use numbers, adjectives, and determiners, such as the, this, and that, “because they apparently care more than women do about conveying specific information.”
• Men and women use the pronoun he about equally; women tend to use she more often than men.
• Women are more focused on developing a relationship with their readers, while—according to Mr. Argamon—Men typically focus on “Here’s something I want to tell you about, and here are some things about it.”
• Both men and women write differently when they write for different forums.
• Factors such as content, knowledge of the material, and an author’s age, nationality, education, and experience all have an impact on writing. Women working in male-dominated fields, for example, tend to write like their co-workers.

Practically speaking, stylometry can be useful in homing in on anonymous communicators. This happened in the case of the Unabomber, whose brother compared his manifesto to his known writings and came up with his identity. And some readers will remember that the ransom note found in JonBenét Ramsey’s home was presumably written by a woman. Not surprisingly, computer scientists have developed tools like Gender Guesser and Gender Analyzer. They’re about 60 to 70% accurate, which is better than the 50% result yielded by random guessing.

In the end, does it really matter whether writing slants male or female? Both men and women are capable of producing good, clear written communications regardless of differences in expression. In my view, that’s what counts.

Hootie2710 — 123rf.com

Before the new year gets too much older, I’d like to reflect on they, which was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2019. ()

In the words of this august organization, they “reflects a surprising fact: even a basic term—a personal pronoun—can rise to the top of our data.” Searches for they “increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year.”

The folks at Merriam-Webster go on to say that the English language lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun, and they has been used for this purpose for more than 600 years. Further, these experts note that they is now being used to refer to people of nonbinary gender identity. British singer Sam Smith, for example, has announced that they prefer they or them as their personal pronoun.

Hokay. Still sounds odd to me, but I’m onboard.

Now, here’s another use of they that I am not overjoyed about. For example: “XYZ Company has pioneered this technology. They are redefining … “ One can definitely make a case for XYZ Company as a collective noun that can be considered as singular or plural. (See page 220 in “Woe is I” by Patricia T. O’Conner. And yet, I find something jarring about its use as a plural. So if you send me something to edit that refers to what seems to be a singular entity as a plural, you’ll get it back as a singular pronoun and verb. As in “XYZ Company has pioneered this technology. It is redefining … “

And now, as a special treat, a Sam Smith video.

arloo — 123rf.com

Most likely the concept of celebrating your company’s brand flaws strikes terror into your heart. After all, your competitors may be doing a pretty good job of persuading your target audience of the wonderfulness of their products.

Yet there are reasons to focus on your brand’s lack of perfection, as explained by Richard Shotton (@rshotton) in his recent article, “How Flaws Make a Brand More Appealing.”  Mr. Shotton, by the way, is the author of The Choice Factory, a well-reviewed look at how our behavioral biases influence what we buy.

But I digress.

“Flaunt Your Flaws”

Mr. Shotton notes that one of the earliest examples of flaunting brand flaws was the Doyle Dane Bernbach Volkswagen ad campaign. If you’re old enough, you have truly fond memories of these little gems, which “gently mocked” the Beetle for its size, speed, and other attributes. Bill Bernbach, the advertising genius behind the campaign, successfully used the same approach with Avis.

Why does this approach work? Says Mr. Shotton, “Admitting weakness is a tangible demonstration of honesty and, therefore, makes other claims more believable.” Further, brands that admit their failings honestly are better able to persuade consumers that these failings are inconsequential.

“Make Sure This Tactic Suits Your Brand”

Mr. Shotton continues by cautioning that the “pratfall effect” works best when your brand is fundamentally sound and your competitors’ claims tend toward puffery.

Interestingly, men are more swayed by the pratfall effect than women who are, at bottom, supremely practical beings. “If your brand targets men then admitting weaknesses should be an approach you seriously consider.”

“More Than Just Ads”

You can talk about brand flaws in more than just ads. Consider the ubiquitous product review. One might think that perfect ratings are the goal, but something less than perfection, say in the 4.2 to 4.5 range, tends to prompt purchases. Perfect ratings lack credibility, “but negative reviews may have a positive impact because they help establish trust and authenticity.” Brand owners have been counseled to respond to less-than-favorable reviews with an apology for a bad experience and an offer to make things right. That is bound to have a favorable effect on credibility. (And I bet it also works in the world of social interactions.)

And now, a little clip that will bring tears to your eyes …

Iqoncept — 123rf.com

Every now and then, I get a bit lazy and recycle older posts. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

In December, Toni Bowers of TechRepublic re-published this CareerBuilder list of the expressions you love to hate . Her comment? “I cannot believe anyone with half a brain and/or an ounce of self-respect would continue to use these terms.”

Ah, c’mon, Toni. Haven’t we all caught ourselves using a cringe-worth expression? I know I do. And without a touch of irony.

Drumroll, please. Here’s the list.

• Outside the box (31%)
• Low-hanging fruit (24%)
• Synergy (23%)
• Loop me in (22%)
• Best of breed (19%)
• Incentivize (19%)
• Mission-critical (19 %)
• Bring to the table (18%)
• Value-add (17%)
• Elevator pitch (16%)
• Actionable items (15%)
• Proactive (15%)
• Circle back (13%)
• Bandwidth (13%)
• High level (10%)
• Learnings (9%)
• Next steps (6%)

Argh. I think my positively least favorite is “learnings,” or “key learnings.” Since when, folks, has “learning” needed to acquire an “s” on the end? (“Circle back” is a close second, followed by “language” used as a verb.)

Let’s have an inpromptu “detest fest.” Tell me your favorite un-favorites, and I’ll share them with the world.

Studiostoks – 123rf.com

 

If you’re thinking about rebranding, you should ask yourself pointed questions. Chelsea Alventosa of Canva, a creator of a simplified graphic-design tool, has come up with ten good ones. Though the company’s focus is on logos, packaging, and imagery, these questions work even from a broader perspective.

Here are the five questions I liked, but all ten will make you stop and think. Check out the article. It’s lavishly illustrated with examples.

“Will a rebrand compromise your brand equity?”

If your brand name is well known and has a great reputation, you want to make sure you’re not confusing customers or negatively impacting hard-earned brand equity. Ms. Aventosa says, “Your goal when rebranding should be to give your brand a new twist that customers identify with and support, rather than going in a completely different direction.” In her view, IHOP did a great job of refreshing its logo while maintaining the colors that patrons associated with the restaurant.

“Can you identify a problem with your current brand?”  

“Before rebranding your business,” says Ms. Aventosa, “it’s important to ask yourself what problems there are with your current logo, or brand kit.” If you can’t identify a real problem, you should probably hold off. Gap revamped its logo in 2010 and got such bad feedback that it reverted to the design we’re all familiar with. I point to Agilent Technologies—a Hewlett-Packard spin-off—and Accenture—formerly Andersen Consulting—as examples of branding that, in my opinion, didn’t need to be fixed with silly suggestive names.

“Is your brand story still relevant?”

Does your brand reflect the values of your core audience? Have your customers’ values changed over the years? If so you need to change as well. American Eagle Aerie, for example, which now reflects a body-positive ethos—think Lizzo—in its sleepwear and intimate apparel line for young women.

“Have your service offerings changed over time?”

As what you offer has evolved, has your brand kept up? Does it convey how you’ve expanded or contracted your offering? Ms. Aventosa points to Uber, noting that its 2016 rebranding was intended to convey broadened services and a global identity. Ms. Aventosa counsels companies to be consistent in their use of colors and patterns throughout marketing materials so that their look will become “instantly recognizable.” Large companies, such as Cisco, typically create brand and style manuals to guide look, feel, and voice. And so should smaller enterprises. It’s never too early to start creating a consistent impression.

“Can people understand your message at first glance?”

“What information and feelings does your branding give at first sight? If people are confused about what you are trying to portray when they catch a glimpse of your website or product, they probably won’t stay long.” Ms. Aventosa points to Tesco, a UK-based grocer whose Everyday Value product line sold poorly until a packaging revamp conveyed a better quality-value message.

Clearly, rebranding should not be undertaken lightly. Branding touches on how a company feels about its customers and itself, its history, and where it’s going. And rebranding should prompt the same kind of self-examination.

Dizanna – 123rf.com