I would estimate that 95 percent of us fall into the category of not being able to classify potential users of our goods and services.

The proof's in the testing. The next time you are introduced to someone, ask, "What is it you do for your clients or customers?" or "What kind of services do you provide?" After the initial, "I'm a lawyer," or "I run an accounting business," or "I'm an environmental engineer," listen for the next part. It will most likely be long, involved and not at all clear. You probably will have to ask several questions before you really understand what they do.

Many of us use the same roundabout method of talking with potential clients or customers when we design our printed material. Our brochures, product information sheets, letterheads, newsletters and fliers are clogged with words that fog and hide the message.

We want to let everyone know everything we do, but often we get carried away with words. This makes for long, boring material that quickly gets trashed. Here are some tips you can use to make your printed material stand out from the competition's.

Instead of telling what you do for your clients, put yourself in their shoes and ask, "What products or services do I want or need from this supplier that might solve my problem?"

As a "customer" of your services, you'll quickly discover that knowing 14 word processing programs is not nearly as important as being able to train your staff in the operation of one program in X hours for Y dollars. Developing this ability to mentally trade places with your clients can be the best and most effective tool for business growth.

Begin by listing every product or service you offer -- or want to offer -- then see if some of them can be grouped. Spend some time at this task. Your final list should contain two to six major groupings. If you have more, you may be trying to do too much for too many. If that's the case, see if you can group by type of client. You may even need two brochures, not just one.

Then ask what would you like for your client to know about each of your major product groupings? Arrange this list in order of importance using the client viewpoint, of course. Now take the top five to 10 items on your list and see if you can condense them to very short sentences or phrases. For example, an environmental site-cleanup firm could say, "The XYZ construction site cleaning system includes: government approved, environmentally correct disposal of waste, salvage of reusable material and magnetic removal of all ferrous trash."

Use a picture or graphic to illustrate each of your main products or services. A picture is still one of the best ways to convey information and can call attention to what you do with a minimum of confusion. There are literally thousands of graphics you can use with no royalty fee, and the cost of inventing a new one is insignificant when compared with the ultimate benefit.

The real test is to give your material to someone not in your business and ask him what it says. For example, make an appointment with a potential customer, asking for a few minutes of her expertise to help you with a marketing project. Not only will you receive expert help, you could gain a customer in the balance.

You really do want answers, so focus on whether your material tells who you are, what you do, and -- most important -- the benefits your customer or client will receive when they use your products or services.

If you already do so, congratulations! You've learned the extremely profitable secret of producing effective sales material.

First Published: March 1, 2006, 5:00 a.m.