Are you a Circumlocutionist?

Firstly, you probably clicked to read this article because you were intrigued by that unusual word. This is an example of The Bizarreness Effect - that's an unusual word and it also creates an Information Gap - you needed to click the article to find out what it is and if it applies to you.

100+ more things like that can be found here if you like that kind of stuff :-)

Anyway, I digress..

Circumlocution is one of the reasons I am in business (as well as this one) and one of the reasons you may find it hard to communicate your offering.

It's essentially using too many words and not getting to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible.

It's not deliberate, you may not even realise you are doing it, but it does happen.

The problem is that selling is about communication and finding a connection point. The quality of your communication dictates your sales performance.

Your clients have the average reading age of a 9 year old and the attention span of a Goldfish. They are also constantly thinking about themselves and what they need/want.

Too many words or taking too long to enlighten them as to why they should care about your offering and you could potentially destroy your chances. This is why selling the destination, not the journey is such a profound, yet simple, concept.

"How do I get around this James?" I hear you say...

Well, there are a number of approaches and different ways you can tackle this, here are 3 of them.

1.Talk about the most important things first.

We often feel like we need to provide context and background when we communicate, but more often than not the people we are talking with are simply waiting for us to "get to the point". So do that first and then back fill the context.

2. Batch your topic into sections.

By clustering information you can cover things at a higher level and then delve deeper if the conversation permits. This works particularly well in emails by adding titles and paragraphs to your message to break it up and give your reader the option to skim or read in full.

3. Use diagrams and videos.

We all process information in different ways. Using diagrams and videos/visuals helps to reduce the amount of effort required to process what you are communicating. You can say a lot more in a video that in a paragraph of text, and in less time too.

The next time you find yourself going "around the houses" in conversation to explain something, or writing really long emails, think about how you could simplify and reduce the amount of information.

Your clients want you to get to the point as quickly as possible, so let this guide you when deciding what to include or exclude. If you can't explain why your client should care about something you probably shouldn't be including it in your communications.

Remember: Being Concise, Converts.