It's a guess, but I would estimate that ninety five percent of us fall into the category of not being able to classify potential users of our goods and services. The proof's in the testing, so the next time you are introduced to someone new ask, "What is it you do for your clients (customers)?" or "What kind of services do you provide?" After the initial, "I'm a lawyer," or "I run an accounting business," or I'm an environmental engineer," listen for the next part. It will most likely be long, involved, and not at all clear; and you will probably have to ask several questions before you really understand what they do and whether or not you could use their services in your business.

Many of us use the same roundabout method of talking with potential clients or customers when we design our printed material. Our brochures, product information sheets, letterheads, newsletters, and flyers are clogged with words that fog and hide the message. We want (justifiably so) to let everyone know everything we do, but often we get carried away with words, and this makes for long, boring material that quickly gets trashed. Here are some tips you can use to make your printed material stand out from the competition.

THE SOLUTION
Instead of telling what you do for your clients, put yourself in their shoes and ask, "What products or services do I want or need from this supplier?" As a 'customer' of your services, you'll quickly discover that knowing fourteen different word processing programs is not nearly as important as being able to train your staff in the operation of one program in X hours for Y dollars. This ability to mentally trade places with your clients can be the best and most effective tool for business growth you can learn.

PARE YOUR PRODUCT LIST
Begin by listing every product or services you offer (or want to offer), then see if some of them can be grouped. Spend some time at this task! Your final list should contain two to six major groupings. If you have more, you may be trying to do too much for too many. If that's the case, see if you can group by type of client. You may need two brochures, not just one!

CONSTRUCT A FEATURE LIST
What would you like for your client to know about each of your newly developed major product groupings? Arrange this list in order of importance (using the client viewpoint of course). Now take only the top five to ten items on your list and see if you cannot condense them to very short sentences or phrases. For example, an environmental site-cleanup firm could say, "The XYZ construction site cleaning system includes: government approved environmentally correct disposal of waste, salvage of reusable material and magnetic removal of all ferrous trash.

PICTURES STILL SPEAK LOUDER
Use a picture or graphic to illustrate each of your main products or services. A picture is still one of the best ways to convey information, and can call attention to what you do with a minimum of confusion. There are literally thousands of graphics you can use with no royalty fee, and the cost of inventing a new one is insignificant when compared to the ultimate benefit.

OBTAIN OPINIONS
The real test is to give your material to someone not in your business and ask them what it says. For example, you could make an appointment with a potential customer, asking for a few minutes of their expertise to help you with a marketing project. Not only will you receive expert help, you could gain a customer in the balance!

THE TEST OF EFFECTIVENESS
You really do want answers, so ask yourself, "Does my material tell who I am, what I do, and most important, the benefits my customer or client will receive when they use my products or services? If so, congratulations! You've learned the extremely profitable secret of producing effective sales material.