We Don’t Learn Japanese to Drive a Toyota
November 26, 2005 | Written by annliu | Filed Under Affiliate Marketing Tips
By Joe Robson
Some time ago I wrote a Direct Mail Package and full page magazine ad for an International Database Developer Software company. What’s that? Well I didn’t know either. It is so technical it took me a week to translate their existing sales literature from ‘Techie-Speak’ into English.
Their literature was written and aimed at very technically minded people. Computer Programmers in particular.
However, I wrote the new sales messages in ‘layman’s language’. Why?
Because even technical people don’t always understand everything technical. And tomorrow’s ‘Techie’ is today’s ‘Newbie’. And TODAY’S customer.
Sales increased by 400%.
I’ll repeat that - 400%. Does that tell you anything besides the fact that I like to show off?
—— What does that tell us?
Maybe it tells us that ‘Techies’ also understand
‘Newbie-Speak’ but not the other way round.
Here’s an ezine Ad I came across from a ‘Techie’ who has never heard the word ‘Newbie’………
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XYZ Jukebox is integrated digital music-management software for the home. It combines a CD ripper, MP3 encoder, play list maker, ID3 tag editor, and media player in one package. CD audio is digitally extracted and encoded directly to MP3 format with no intermediary WAV file, using Xing MPEG encoding technology.
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Hmmm I wonder if it would play music CD’s on my computer….
The point I’m making is that this piece of software may make a great deal of difference to my lifestyle. If I knew what it was I may well be tempted to buy it!
I am reminded of an experience some years ago when I ventured out to buy a new Hi-Fi system. You’ve been there.
I visited FOUR stores and was blinded with science by 17 year old ’sales executives’ with fluff on their chins, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to exhibit their superior knowledge about electronics. Sub Whoofer? I want music, not an aquatic Rottweiller!
I finally came across a PROFESSIONAL salesman who asked me what I WANTED from a Hi-Fi, and demonstrated a system that SUITED MY NEEDS. He made a $1500 sale to a Hi-Fi Newbie in 10 minutes.
The fact that when I got it home I couldn’t understand the Manual wasn’t his fault! It was written in ‘Techie-Speak’!
—— Everyone was a Newbie once.
This wide spread use of Jargon on the Web is the very reason Tom Glander and I set up The Newbie Club
It’s a brand new concept designed to teach PC and Internet Newbies the basics of using computers and the Web. Because they were blinded by Techie-Speak by the salesperson, and confounded by the same language in their user manual!
Using the unique Newbie Club Learning System, the productsand the site itself are 100% free of Jargon and technical terms of any kind.
In fact the System is so unique and successful it’s being used by Banks, Computer Societies, and individuals alike.
So remember this before you write your Sales Copy…..
Just because your product is ‘technical’, don’t assume that it’s the language your readers prefer - or even understand.
They don’t.
They want to know what the BENEFIT of your advanced technology is going to do for them.
In English …. In Newbieish …. In Anyish.
But not in Gibberish!
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Joe Robson is author of Make Your Words SELL! co-authored by Ken Evoy. Joe and Tom Glander are Co-Founders of The Newbie Club which is bulging with revolutionary Internet and PC Newbie tutorials. CLICK ONE HERE and look at their very professional Affiliate Program. It’s BIG! Joe’s Copywriting site
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