No one would ever suggest that “Baffle ‘em with BS” is a smart marketing strategy. And yet, too many IT marketers are giving exactly that impression to prospects. As a managed services provider, you can’t expect potential customers to take you seriously as a future working partner to help grow their business if you cannot clearly and succinctly explain why they should.

What’s getting in the way? Jargon.

A few weeks ago we posted an article about the perils of jargon for IT professionals, noting that fuzzy buzzwords and industry slang can be particularly damaging for your marketing and client relations efforts. Now, we’re really getting down to business, with a four-part blog series designed to define the problem in greater detail, help you identify where and how jargon is holding you back and replace the bad with something far better: clarity.

Using Jargon is Risky Business, Tom Cruise.

It’s an insider language, like a verbal secret handshake. And where there are insiders, there are outsiders. You want to attract prospects, not alienate them. Why does an overabundance of jargon turn people off?

• It’s rude and self-important.
• To some people, it can even feel a bit like bullying.
• It can make you seem untrustworthy – are you deliberately trying to confuse prospects? Studies show – no surprise – that most people believe straightforward presentation is accurate, whereas confusing content is questionable.
• Your inability to present important information in a way that is readily understandable shows a lack of understanding of your clients as businesses and your target audience personas in particular.

All of these diminish your marketing and chip away at your desired reputation as a go-to resource for prospects and existing customers. That puts up barriers rather than building bridges that could lead to long-term relationships.

Think relationships don’t matter? Then perhaps you didn’t know that a significant majority of failed outsourcing partnerships fail due to poor relationships, not poor performance.

Prospects have questions. They’re hoping you have answers – ones they can understand. They don’t need jargon, they need to save money, save time (which is also money), link people with data so they can do their jobs or live their lives more conveniently. Your marketing must clearly and concisely explain how your services facilitate that. What’s in it for them?

If it’s difficult to figure out what you offer and whether those services can really help them, they’ll simply look elsewhere.