By David Bennett
Many salespeople and business leaders live by the maxim ‘‘KISS’’ (Keep It Simple, Stupid) which refers, of course, to the sales pitch and not the customer. The term apparently originated not on sales floors, but in the U.S. Navy; however, it's easy to see why the phrase is popular with sales managers. Whether you vary it to ‘‘keep it short and simple’’ or ‘‘keep it simple and straightforward,’’ the message is always the same: don’t overcomplicate matters.
That’s not to say that salespeople see their customers as simpletons or less knowledgeable. Underestimating a customer is always a route to failure. Instead, KISS is a call to get to the heart of the matter and not bombard customers with speeds and feeds: the core principle behind any good “elevator pitch.”
Too Much Tech
The KISS principle is one that IT business leaders and sales reps often have a hard time following, and it’s perfectly understandable. Technology by its very nature is difficult to explain, and there can be a temptation to impress customers with specifications, fantastic capabilities, and performance of a product rather than explaining in simple terms how the product could make one’s working or home life better. Even though we know we should be focused on explaining the benefits, we often spend far too much time talking about the technology.
Of course, companies that design solutions that drive technology products need to talk about the core technology at some point. Customers want to be reassured that are buying good, reliable, proven and state-of-the-art products, and that they are getting the very best solutions for their needs.
Many companies in the IT industry, however, tend to be over-technical at times. It is pretty much unavoidable when a product is the heart of what makes a technological device great.
This is where I think the KISS principle can really help. By keeping it simple, you can get key messages across really effectively. Even if you do end up having to talk about technology, keeping the message simple and easy to understand can make a real difference.
Straight Talk
KISS applies to all technologies, whether you’re a provider of software, hardware, or both. Speeds and feeds definitely have a place for showing prospects that your product can outperform the competition, but the message often won't be clear to anyone other than hard-core tech enthusiasts.
An alternative is to focus on ‘‘the three Ps’’ – price, power (i.e., energy consumption), and performance which will highlight the benefits your technology delivers. As an example, you might focus on how your product costs less to buy, provides great battery life, and delivers stellar performance. You can expand on those points further, but these core messages offer a good perspective of the value and benefits your product can offer, and they are easy to remember and communicate.
This takes us now to the other key point about KISS -- it’s not just the story you take to the customer, but how you retain it as a salesperson. Here's an example: A rabid gaming enthusiast might care more about performance than the other two Ps, unless they’re on a budget or like to play on the move. A home user looking for a PC for office tasks and catch-up TV streaming may not want the fastest system or the one with the best performance, but they’ll definitely be interested in achieving the same results with less outlay. Distilling the advantages of your product into a simple message, a story of the benefits you will offer to the end consumer, allows you to use KISS to tell a simple, consistent story.
Taking advantage of KISS has worked brilliantly for many technology companies, resulting in greater mindshare and excitement of the products. Of course, it may not always be possible to avoid talking about technology, but keeping messages simple works. KISS is an effective principle that all IT business leaders and sales teams should apply when trying to sell even the most complex of solutions.
