A lot of the work I do is translation.
Making sure Sales, Marketing, Product and Customer Success all speak the language of their customers.
Still, it sometimes seems strange to say this is translation work, because most teams do, in fact, speak the same language as their buyers (English). And yet, even as we all speak English, there are still smaller, niche industries and vertical “dialects.”
(If you’ve ever been in a consultation with me, you’ve probably heard me say something like “Your marketing already speaks Mechanical Engineer. That’s good.” I will quite literally call out that Mechanical Engineers, for example, have a specific way of communicating and it’s not the same as those in, say, healthcare.)
It’s sometimes easier to think about why speaking the same language is so important through the lens of traveling:
Folks from Canada, the USA, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland and many other countries all speak English. Even so, a Canadian might struggle to understand someone from Ireland. Heck, someone from Toronto (Ontario) might even struggle to understand someone from St John's (Newfoundland). In both cases, each party speaks English but uses different dialects. It becomes much easier to understand the person you’re speaking to when you’re aware of their unique accent, vocabulary, grammar and cultural and contextual influences.
The challenge is that vertical dialects are bound by professions and industries, which aren’t region-specific. As a result, vertical dialects don’t have accents, so they’re harder to hear. So, how do you know if you and your buyer are speaking different vertical dialects?
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of signals and situations I listen for with our clients:
Buyers join calls not really understanding what your product does or how it works.
Buyers ask questions your team is certain they’ve already answered.
Your product is regularly mistaken for something it’s not.
When buyers describe the challenges they’re trying to solve, your team doesn’t fully understand what they’re talking about.
When buyers describe the results or outcomes they’re hoping to achieve, your team doesn’t fully understand what they’re describing or what they mean.
During onboarding, Customer Success often has to re-explain what it is that the new customer bought. (This may not be an issue if the folks involved in implementation weren’t involved in the initial purchasing decision. But it’s definitely an issue if they’re re-explaining to anyone on the original buying committee.)
If you notice that any of the above occur regularly, you may have a translation problem. (Hint: these patterns are easier to spot if you’re using listening loops.)
From there, you can map out your buyer's language so your team can understand them more easily. And, in turn, communicate in ways your buyer more easily understands.
‘Til next week,
Carolyn
P.S. It’s also worth noting that translation problems can be hidden behind positioning problems, qualification problems and even sales process problems. Translation work isn’t always the answer, but they’re often related. (I plan to write about this more in future issues.)
Before you go…
My firm (Boxcar) helps sales-led B2B software companies translate their proven sales motion into a clear positioning and messaging strategy.
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