If your prospects are not returning your message or your referrals seem to go nowhere, then perhaps you are not providing them with a compelling reason why they should respond. If you want to increase sales, you must clearly communicate your value.

While there are many things to consider in developing a compelling message, today I'd like to address six critical elements that should be present whenever you talk about your value. Think about these elements as you craft your messages to prospects and clients in emails, voice mail, during appointments and on your website:

Be concise

Learn to express your value as concisely as possible. And, yes, you can have different versions of different lengths.

Be clear

Your message shoudl be free from industry jargon and complicated sentence structure. Run your answers by people who have no knowledge of your industry or products.

Be conversational

You're talking to a person, not submitting an essay to your English teacher. Write more informally, while still following the basic rules of grammar (or at least most of them).

Focus on client benefits

Try to think past features and advantages to the benefits with which your clients will identify. For instance, how long you've been in business is NOT a benefit. Turning a feature into a benefit usually requires saying something like, “Which means to you…” (Or a similar phrase such as, “So therefore…”).

Convey emotion

People make the decision to work with you or refer you to others based mostly on how they feel about you, the work you've done and who you are as a person. Help this process by using emotional words when you can, such as safe, secure, fear, confidence, risk, dreams, mistake, turnover, profit, commitment, loyalty and gap.

Cite examples

Specific examples of what you do, how you do it, who you do it for, etc., bring your value proposition to life; they make it real for your prospects, clients and centers of influence. Having an inventory of examples allows you to tailor the examples you provide to your target audience.

Remember, how you talk about your value will not only help you increase sales, it teaches your clients how to talk about you as they recommend you to others.