To improve sales, follow these simple communication rules

Words, words, words. You see them, hear them, and sometimes feel them. It’s not always that good tingly feeling.

This is how your prospects and customers feel sometimes. Oy!

Words are everywhere in the world of marketing and sales. We weave words together to get our ideas across -- and sell. Yet, it’s a balancing act. The trick is to toot your horn and grab the buyer’s attention without using any hype.

The problem is most people play at the extremes. Some beat around the bush with endless soft selling, going in circles and boring potential buyers to tears. Unexciting at best, they never get to heart of what their target audience wants.

Others hurl overused superlatives and marketing speak around. They make promises that are either unrealistic or vague. Too often it’s pure in your face hype -- a terrible waste of your energy and people’s time.

Finding the right words to say isn’t rocket science or based on some secret formula. Yet, there are basic rules you need to follow. Otherwise you’ll fail to make the sale.

These rules are simple really. Use them to create non-boring, hype-free messages for your emails, presentations, news releases, conversations, trade show signage, video, and on your website.

Always use your genuine voice. You see it happen all the time in a speech, an email that lands in your inbox, a brochure, or a when a website’s sales page tries too hard; there are seemingly more big adjectives than nouns and many times it’s also heavy on the jargon of that industry. This comes across as sounding forced and unnatural. Plus, getting a handle on exactly what these companies are selling is difficult. Write and speak in clear terms and a conversational style. You and your business have a personality that causes people to like and trust you. So, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Invite people into your world in a positive way. Inspire with stories and examples. Always talk “with” people, not “to” people -- in person and in your writing. This is the first rule: Be genuine.

Standout without hype. You can lose the exaggerated hype and still create excitement to grab attention. Your audience has a problem and you have a solution, let them know. Use words and phrases that place your audience in your picture in their head. The more specific, the better. For instance, how many steps they need to go through and how long that will take. When they can picture themselves achieving something in a concrete way, they’re more likely to take action. Smart Marketing is about helping your customers. But that doesn’t mean boring. Use attention-grabbing headlines that are a bit fearless, yet honest. Ooze unflinching confidence without sacrificing your company’s personality. But most of all get rid of the hype. I recommend The Gobbledygook Manifesto by David Meerman Scott. It’s free and a powerful appeal to marketers to stop using hype. This is the second rule: Just say what you mean and make every word count without exaggerated hype.

Keep the focus on your audience with a narrative structure. This should be the easiest of all the rules to apply. You already think about your prospects and customers all the time. Yet, when you write a brochure or give a presentation I bet you slip into “me and my company” mode. Break this habit by using a process that draws your buyers in and helps them to understand how your product or service can help them. Borrow a page from fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and Hollywood with storytelling. To connect with your audience, start by introducing an idea or insight that shows your buyer that their world is changing. Then, follow the pattern of any good story with a beginning, middle, and spine tingling ending. Build tension along the way and climax with a call-to-action. The key is to make your customer the hero of their story with you acting as the guide. Your job is to provide context, contrast, and safety. And, leave the annoying hype on the cutting room floor. This is the third rule: Paint a clear picture with a narrative emphasizing that customers are the main focus of your business, because it’s all about them.

Be bold, be different, and have some fun. It seems like you’d have to do some fairly wild things to stand out in a crowed marketplace. How otherwise is it possible to be bold and different and avoid doing something outlandish? Use visuals and colors that convey your concepts and brand. Text without photos or images is boring -- a dash of color can do wonders. Also, a 30 to 90 second animated explainer videos will help website visitors quickly and clearly understand how your product solves a problem. As a bonus, these videos are easy to share on social media and can be embedded into your PowerPoint and Keynote presentations. For something totally different and fun, try a jingle. If you think they’re only for TV and radio commercials and not for your type of business you’d be surprised. There are only a handful of professional jingle writers around and just a few work directly with businesses -- one to consider is Sound Branding Ideas in Florida. This is the fourth rule: People will feel great about what you have when you use creative techniques that let your company’s personality shine through.

Inspire Action. Getting people interested in what you have to say and leading them to recognize the goodness of your offering is only part of your job. Now, you’ve got to get them to perform an action. That action is whatever you decide -- download a free report, sign up for the next seminar, or buy on the spot. No matter what it is, it’s up to you to help them take that crucial next step. The best way to do that is with a solid narrative that takes your audience on an exciting journey and leads them to a call-to-action. The action must be easy to understand, have relevant value, and inspire based on the story. Strengthen your “ask” with action verbs and keep it brief. Use “contact” or “call” to invite people to learn more about your product or service; “connect” to indicate one-on-one interaction, by phone, email, or in person; “join” to encourage prospects to be part of a larger group that uses your offering; and “start” and “try” are very effective at encouraging free trials. For websites and social media advertising color, size and location help make it clear where people should click. However, it comes back to the words you use to let buyers know why they should click on the button. This is the fifth rule: Your call-to-action tells your audience what they should do and gives them a reason why they should take the desired action.

Game changer, market-leading, best-in-class, world-class amazing, stunning, fantastic, ultimate, one-of-a-kind, and on and on. It’s all meaningless hype.

Persuasion is necessary, yet it can come with a big price tag. The harder you try, the more jargon and hype you use, the further down the path of resistance and resentment buyers go.

Gimmicky hype words get in the way of your message and the wonderful solutions your business offers. Be authentic and don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Stay steps ahead of your competitors who are still thinking that the sales process is all about them and their clever schemes dripping in hype.

What words do think are overused and avoid using?

Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.