Re: Opportunity to Brief the Sales Team!

[John Posada <john -at- TDANDW -dot- COM>]

Gina...having spent 15 years in sales before becoming a teknicul riter,
I may be able to provide some insite...take or leave whatever you like.

1) loose the pronunciation. I don't think anyone on the sales team would
have a problem with knowing how to pronounce the words, I would take it
as an insult that you would believe that I would have a problem, and
besides...why have them spend X amount of brain-process-cycles thinking
about it.   You're not writing a dictionary...you're briefing them on
what you do. Write to your audience.

2) What is "user-centered"?  You know what it is, and I know what it is,
but can you be absolutely sure that everyone on your sales team, not in
the business, will all understand what that means in the same way and in
the way that you want?

3) What is the goal of the brief? Educate them on what TC is and what
they do...or educate them on what the TC department of your company is
and what you can do for them?

If the former, why? Do you write based on what "sales people do" or what
your sales people do with your customers?
If the later...Phrase it so they understand what you do for them (and
this is really off-the-cuff):

"The TC department of YOUR-COMPANY produces the hard copy instruction
manuals, user-guide binders, and programs that you use to sell your
product, explain what your product does to your accounts, and help your
accounts to use your product."

Just a few thoughts.


Gina Hertel wrote:
>
> Ok, here's the deal.  I work as a consultant.  My sales team is giving me
> the opportunity to *brief* them on the services that Technical Communicators
> can provide.  My team does User Guides, Quick Ref Guides, Online Help, GUI
> design consultation, Instructional Presentations, Web Content Development,
> Customized Courseware and Usability Testing.  The Sales team thinks all we
> know how to do is write docs.
>
> One of the slides in my presentation will be a *definition* of Technical
> Communications.  What do you think about this:
>
> (\tek-ni-k?l\ \k?-my?-n?-ka-sh?ns\) n:  the production of user- centered
> information products in a variety of delivery media
>
> Obviously, additional information will be provided in other slides, I'm just
> looking for a concise definition.


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reasonable words.", Goethe
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will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will
certainly misunderstand them.", John Ruskin

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