Some ways of speaking are more appropriate in certain settings than others. You wouldn’t yell at a kids’ soccer team the same way you do at your favorite NFL team when they play one of those games. You probably wouldn’t talk to a baby the same way you do to your boss. And you almost certainly would not use your drive-through ordering voice when placing an order at a fine-dining establishment. Or maybe your local fine dining establishment has a drive-through now. We live in strange times.
In any case, the lesson is clear: different settings call for different approaches. In much the same way, it’s important to maintain a distinction between the way you discuss your financing program with your team and the way you talk about it with your customers. And it starts with the word ‘financing’ itself.
Avoiding the F Word
Yes, as unassuming and innocent as ‘financing’ seems, it is not a word you want to use much if at all around your customers. Now, let’s establish something upfront: this is not about being sneaky. If you want to be sneaky, become a ninja. At least then you will only disturb your friends and family.
No, this is about something a little more difficult to define. Let’s call it ‘audience-centric selling.’ Your team is an audience. When you present information to them, you should tailor it in a way that makes sense for internal purposes. Likewise, your customers are an audience. And you should provide relevant information to them that has been prepared for external exposure. Customer-facing information, in other words.
It’s not at all about misleading the customer, but rather about emphasizing the things that matter most to them. You and your team have a different set of priorities than your customers, and it is important to strive to understand your customers’ desires and needs.
Speak Your Customers’ Language
What do your customers desire? In short, they want stability. They want to know that their decisions with regard to financing will not disrupt or upend their current financial equilibrium. Thus, instead of speaking about ‘financing,’ which is a word that has different connotations for your internal team than it does for your external audience, you should mention ‘Low Monthly Payments,’ the convenience of the application process, and, indeed, the payment per month in specific detail. Why? Because that matters to the customer.
You should calculate the customer’s monthly payment and present it to them in a transparent way. Far from unnerving them, actually seeing the number will reassure them. Every presentation of financing-related information to your customers should conclude with a mention of the low monthly payments and easy-to-complete applications. This will ensure that your customers know, in concrete terms, why choosing financing makes sense for them.
It will be tempting for your team members, and probably for yourself, to use the F word when speaking to customers. But with consistent training and an ongoing commitment to highlighting low monthly payments and the convenience of applying, you will be well on your way to speaking your customers’ language. And that will, ultimately, result in more revenue for your business. A beautiful thing, no?