As humans, our nature makes us tune out what we cannot understand. This holds true for businesses as well. If your customers can’t get what you are trying to say, they will block you out.

Often times we engage in conversation only to find out from the blank stare of the other person that he just can’t follow what is being said. One of the weirdest social scenarios that is for sure. So, how do you think it would be if you are a brand trying to talk to customers who have no idea what you are getting at? Consumers these days are already burdened by the hundreds of messages they get through multiple sources, and this proves that you ought to use your words carefully.

Even if you use the simplest of language, how can you ever make out that your customers share your definitions of words? Well, follow the tips should help you out:

Broaden the horizons of your conversation
Instead of limiting your conversation to the bits that interest you, try giving the conversation a broad start. For instance, if your question revolves around why a customer visits your store, you should make him define bits of a typical day that surround his visit. Does he always seem to come over on a busy day? Or are his visits more of a leisure pastime? The hints that you pick up from this conversation would help you make amendments regarding the position of your company and its brand message.

A majority of brands these days make a huge mistake by assuming that the only driving factor that makes customers purchase items is price. This, to be honest, is rather rare. You need to delve into your customers conversations and dig out what they are talking about when referencing to your product. This would give you the opportunity to work out what drives customers into buying a product. There is a fair chance that they might be referring to your brand in terms of other experiences like convenience, ease and comradeship.

Cut down on slang, make room for definitions
A few months back I had the opportunity of carrying out interviews for a local church that was interested in starting Sunday school classes for unmarried individuals in the 20s and 30s age group. The church employees had asked me to keep using the word “singles”, which I most politely did. Well, until a candidate told me that she felt the pressure of dating in such a setting. When Iasked her as to why she thought i was referring to dating, she said it was the term ‘singles’ being used again and again that drove her to believe so. Throughout the rest of the conversation, I chose to use the word ‘young professionals’.

This led me to believe that reversing your approach is extremely important to understand what your customers truly think. In simple words, don’t pick words and then ask your customer for definition, instead, give them a definition and ask them to tell you what it means.