I was looking at some promotional literature and web sites the other day and it was interesting to note the number of times the words - "We" and "Our" was used in this material.

Lots of statements such as: "We are a leading supplier of__" "Our products do__" "We research__" "We have 50 years experience__" Very rarely did I read anything that stated what these businesses did for the customer. They were all features rich and benefits poor.

It's not enough to tell the world how clever you are and expect them to work out how they might be able to use your product or service. You've got to tell potential customers how your products or your skills and expertise bring benefits to them. Benefits such as - saving time - saving money or making their life easier. There needs to a lot more use of the word "you" or "your."

Use statements such as - "You will save x amount of money due to the research we do__" or "Your business will reduce downtime by y amount due to what we do__" or "You will feel confident in our service due to our 50 years experience__" Of course it goes without saying that you need evidence to back up these statements.

Think about yourself as a customer and how impressed you are with statements such as - "We provide a quality service" or "Our company has been in business since 1832" or "We work closely with our customers"

So have a look at your promotional leaflets or your website and check if the wording is "customer" focussed or "you" focused.

Alan Fairweather

Alan Fairweather is a business development expert who, for the past twenty-seven years, has been turning ?adequate? managers, sales and customer service people into consistent top performers.

After training as an engineer, Alan moved into sales and management and held senior positions in the Electronics, Industrial Supplies, Car maintenance and Drinks Industry.

He?s a qualified Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist (no, he won?t put you to sleep) and he founded his business as a Professional Speaker in 1993. He works with people and organisations to achieve business results through behavioural change.

Alan has broad experience across many industries and runs seminars and workshops for people in ? Financial Services, Telecommunications, Hospitality, Healthcare, Property Management, Legal, Accountancy, Printing, Media, Computer Hardware and Software.

Results ? That?s what Alan?s about and he?s committed to helping your business find new customers fast, lose fewer customers and win more sales from existing customers.