Using the Customer’s Language: Increasing Familiarity and Customer Focus

I’ll never forget my first day in the proposal industry: My boss heaved a glossary of terms onto my desk and told me to read up. That’s what I spent the next 5 hours—okay, 3 days—doing. It still took weeks of hearing terms like “pink team,” “value proposition,” and “SWOT” in context before I began to understand what these words meant.Although my eyes were unfamiliar with many industry-common words, customers should not be perplexed by the terms you use when they receive your proposal. From word choice to sentence structure, you should write and revise with the customer in mind.JargonWhen I jumped headfirst into the world of proposal writing, the industry jargon took weeks to get used to. Customers will not dedicate weeks to deciphering your proposal’s vocabulary—if they do not understand, they will move on to the next one.Sometimes, jargon is necessary to show the customer that you understand relevant terminology in their specialized field. Acceptable jargon is listed below, in order of acceptability:

• Customer’s jargon
• Industry or business jargon
• Professional jargon
• Seller’s jargon

The safest bet will usually be to avoid unfamiliar phraseology. Mirror the customer’s language in the RFP so they will understand your proposal and recognize it is responding to their needs and requests.Use the Customer’s Own WordsAs you concentrate on the customer’s hot buttons and concerns, repeat those items in the same words they used in the RFP. You will clearly demonstrate that your proposal recognizes their needs and addresses them. This writing tactic can also be employed organizationally by using primary needs or concerns as headings or subheadings.The most useful part of a glossary of terms is that it uses familiar words to clarify unfamiliar words or phrases. When your proposal uses the customer’s language to explain how you will fulfill needs and combat issues, it produces the same phenomenon: the proposal eliminates confusion and stresses customer focus.Name the Customer FirstOut of all the words in your proposal, the most recognizable ones to the customer will be the company’s name. Naming the customer first immediately structures a sentence to highlight customer benefits. Information on how your equipment functions at high speeds and accuracy may be impressive at first glance. However, stressing that the customer will spend less money fixing issues and can expect a sooner delivery because your equipment is more impressive.When I was reading that glossary, I would have mustered more enthusiasm if someone had explained to me how this knowledge would benefit my future dealings with coworkers, clients, and projects. Customers will take more interest in a proposal that is clearly focused on them. Instead of stressing your company’s accolades and resources, explain how the customer will benefit by having access to them.Emphasizing the customer at the sentence level helps your customer focus throughout the entire proposal.Avoid Clichés Like Your Life Depends on ItClichés are overused, tired expressions often written to open or close a sales document. Beginning a proposal with “Thank you for the opportunity to submit a proposal for your consideration,” sounds polite, but unoriginal. Clichés add nothing to your proposal and usually distract evaluators from its message. Additionally, if you are submitting a proposal to a company in another country or language, clichés are difficult to translate and can cause confusion.Clichés also convey a casual tone. While personal relationships or incumbent status may tempt you to submit a less formal proposal, your language should still be professional. Make your proposal stand out by creating original sales openings and closings that encourage the reader to act. Instead of using a worn-out cliché, prompt evaluators to jump from the executive summary immediately into the proposal by previewing customer hot buttons addressed in the proposal.While it was difficult to read originally, a glossary was just what I needed as a newbie because I became familiar and comfortable with proposal language. Your customer should not start from ground zero when they evaluate your proposal: make it understandable by using their own words and jargon. Your proposal writing will further improve when you name the customer first and don’t settle for unoriginal clichés.