Photo by Plutor.

No matter what our background, most of us can speak a foreign language. One that’s completely opaque to anyone who might be listening in. It’s the language of your industry.

So what’s your second language? Is it ‘web dev’? (Take this quick quiz – have you ever used the words ‘CSS’, ‘XHTML’, ‘sFIR3′ or ‘Javascript’ face-to-face with a client?). Or do you lapse into ‘designer’ or ‘blogger’ when you get excited?

Whatever your second language is, chances are either you or your clients are losing something vital in the translation. Every industry creates jargon, acronyms and product-words that aren’t in any dictionary, and mean nothing to outsiders. And then individual companies have their own variations on the dialect.

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Image by kaibara87.

1. “I can do it for cheaper” — If you could do it for cheaper, why did you quote me a higher price in the first place? You may think that this is what a client wants, but it can really undermine your professional standing in their eyes. Don’t drop your prices if you are confident in your abilities. It will backfire.

2. “I am not the best…” — You may not be the best, but this isn’t exactly awe-inspiring for a client to hear, is it? I see lots of very successful independent professionals play down their strengths — sometimes to the point where the client looses confidence in them. If you have a hard time talking about yourself, check out the book Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn, Without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus.

3. “Umm…uh..” — Okay, it’s not exactly a phrase, but umms and uhs can really kill a conversation. One of my MBA professors would never let us finish a sentence if we used sound fillers. It was agonizing at first, but really paid off by the end of the semester. If you feel speech is really a problem for you, get some coaching. Most universities with communication programs have PhD students who work with the general public for a great price. Continue Reading