If your prospects are not returning your message oryour referrals seem to go nowhere, then perhaps you are notproviding them with a compelling reason why they should respond. Ifyou want to increase sales, you must clearly communicate yourvalue.

While there are many things to consider in developing acompelling message, today I'd like to address six critical elementsthat should be present whenever you talk about your value. Thinkabout these elements as you craft your messages to prospectsand clients in emails, voice mail, during appointments and on yourwebsite:

Be concise

Learn to express your value as concisely as possible. And, yes,you can have different versions of different lengths.

Be clear

Your message shoudl be free from industry jargon and complicatedsentence structure. Run your answers by people who have noknowledge of your industry or products.

Be conversational

You're talking to a person, not submitting an essay to yourEnglish teacher. Write more informally, while still following thebasic rules of grammar (or at least most of them).

Focus on client benefits

Try to think past features and advantages to the benefits withwhich your clients will identify. For instance, how long you'vebeen in business is NOT a benefit. Turning a feature into a benefitusually requires saying something like, “Which means to you…” (Or a similar phrase such as, “So therefore…”).

Convey emotion

People make the decision to work with you or refer you to othersbased mostly on how they feel about you, the work you've done andwho you are as a person. Help this process by using emotional wordswhen you can, such as safe, secure, fear, confidence, risk, dreams,mistake, turnover, profit, commitment, loyalty and gap.

Cite examples

Specific examples of what you do, how you do it, who you do itfor, etc., bring your value proposition to life; they make it realfor your prospects, clients and centers of influence. Having aninventory of examples allows you to tailor the examples you provideto your target audience.

Remember, how you talk about your value will not only help youincrease sales, it teaches your clients how totalk about you as they recommend you to others.

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