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Consultants Need To Be Multilingual

Consultants Need To Be Multilingual

Just this morning, an IT consultant complained that I was unfair castigating IT people for not being customer-oriented, and he prided himself on being a “level three” service provider, or some such thing. Right in his letter of complaint, he was being obscure. He was speaking his language, not mine, but expecting me to adapt to him. Is level three good or bad? Who cares?

Consultants need to speak their clients’ languages. Bankers talk about defalcations. Insurance people will cite “churn.” Hospital management is concerned with capitation.

You get the idea. Do a little homework so that you’re talking in terms the client or prospect is accustomed to using. Don’t talk about “OD interventions,” “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,” or “hygiene factors.”

Most sales are preceded by the ability to communicate effectively. Most referral business comes from delighted clients who have been heard. So please stop telling me to reboot.

© Alan Weiss 2013

Written by

Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and author of over 60 books. His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients from over 500 leading organizations around the world.

Comments: 2

  • John W Lewis

    August 22, 2013

    Agreeing with you. Nevertheless, hoping that hospital management would be very concerned about the opposite: decapitation!

  • Alan Weiss

    August 24, 2013

    Strictly a praying mantis concern.

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