Simple is Differentiated, Not Easy

‘If you can't convince them, confuse them’. Sales and marketing professionals can relate to this statement once popularized by Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States. Particularly in IT services, client-facing professionals and even their leaders continue to practice this approach while pitching to the customers. They assume it would differentiate them. On the contrary, this approach becomes counterproductive. We have been using terms like cloudification, hyper-automation, digital transformation, bizops, humanized design, to standout amongst peer groups. Every provider has been using similar jargon in some form or other. All have easy access to these terms promoted by industry analysts. Thus, the messages remain undifferentiated. It is also true that customers are smart enough to quickly see through these convoluted messages, catch the lack of differentiation and lose trust.

Moreover, in a fast-paced digital world, it is important to get your message across quickly. It turns out that throughout the last two decades, the average human attention span has reduced from 12 seconds to less than 8 seconds. That's lower than a goldfish. We are trying to pitch to a goldfish, and assuming it will be memorable.

Contrary to the traditional way of using marketing to jazz things up or add some flowery words, there is a dire need for using their expertise to make messages rather Simple. This is more relevant for IT services, where the lines have blurred between business and IT. Business is technology. Business users driven by end consumers are making technology buying decisions. In the industry full of jargon, simple messages differentiate and sail through with customers. Even the greatest companies have had a very simple overall message like ‘Think Different’ by Apple.

So, how do we make messages simple? Just go back to basics. In IT services, don’t just follow the bandwagon of emerging technologies (you will be differentiated automatically) unless you can contextualize, else just replace the logo from any other company’s slide and it can be yours. Contextualize as per company, business, department, unit, team or individual. You will never go wrong with WIFM (what’s in it for me) principle. So, personalize to the needs and wants of the receiver. Importantly, communicate the value as defined by the customer, not by you. Stick to the main point and come to it quickly. Remove everything else than what matters. This also shows honesty and confidence in what you are good at. Use facts to support your messages than just adjectives. The message should encourage your receiver to feel good about himself. This can be done in various ways by solving his problems, by empowering him, by challenging him, by elevating his stature, by showing a road map or by touching his emotions.

Easier said than done, but always worth the time and effort it takes. Not only messages, simplicity rules in every part of business and life. Steve Jobs summed in his popular quote “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

(The article covers the personal opinions of the author)