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English as a Strategic Asset

English is the lingua franca of a world in which globalization, storytelling, etc. are key elements of internationally competitive businesses. Excellent English not only assists customers, employees and business partners to clearly understand and be motivated by the company’s messages, but also sends an important signal about the overall professionalism of the organization. After all, as Don Burr of People Express said: "when a passenger sees a coffee stain on an aircraft seat, they automatically assume we don’t do our engine maintenance right".

In my work with many different companies, I regularly hear stories of brand damage and deals that failed because a Danish company underestimated the importance of English communications. Most often, such anecdotes involve written sales proposals. One such anecdote concerns a Copenhagen company that was told its ideas and the team being proposed for a major international account were perfect – but that the quality of language in the sales documentation alone had caused the purchasing committee to lose confidence, awarding the deal to a competitor.

So, if you’re producing for English-speaking markets, it pays to remember that you will likely be up against some of the world’s best communicators: the sales and marketing executives recruited by native-English speaking countries. These days, a standard job description for American or British sales and marketing people almost always requests things like:

Superior verbal and written communication skills
- Theikos (USA)

Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability of attention to detail
- (Sprint/Nextel)

Excellent oral, written and presentation skills…
- A.M. Nielsen

Strong oral and written communication skills…
- Merck & Co. Inc.

Professional-level written and verbal communication skills…
- New-edge Networks, Inc.

Since verbal communication is the backbone of almost any persuasive task, Danish companies have their work cut out for them in oral presentations, written marketing materials and so on. Their native-English speaking counterparts simply have a natural advantage when it comes to speaking or writing persuasively.

As part of the effort to lift Danish competitiveness in the international arena, I suggest that Danish companies view the English language skills of their marketing and sales people as a competitive element that needs to be developed and improved in the same way as any other strategic asset.

A strategic asset is any asset that has strong significance for an organization’s competitive positioning, whether it be a production, financial or marketing resource. The organization should have a plan for maintaining and further developing each of its strategic assets to make sure that it performs strongly in a competitive marketplace.

If you are aiming to do world-class marketing, you have to be doing world-class English. "World-class English" is a term used by the Copenhagen-based copywriting agency Eye for Image and various of its customers and partners to describe the highly professional level of verbal communication deployed by market-leading companies such as Coca-cola, IBM and Maersk. Until recently the domain of companies based in English-speaking countries, World-class English business communication is characterized by:

- Clear, concise communication
- Proliferating throughout the organization
- Correct grammar and spelling
- Consistent, correct use of technical terms
- Consistent tone and style
- Being (at least) on par with competitors based in Britain, the United States or Down Under
- Being highly persuasive when this is called for

Eye for Image estimates that fewer than fifty large or medium-sized Danish companies consistently demonstrate this level. So how can you increase the value of English language as a strategic asset? Eye for Image has identified five pillars of a strong English-language strategy. These are:

1. Company-wide recognition of the importance of world-class English
2. Definition of and consistent adherence to a particular tone and style
3. Partnering with an international communications agencies specializing in copywriting and/or translation
4. Recognizing the importance of regionalization - the English-speaking world is far from culturally uniform
5. Continuous development of in-house English-language skills

If you’re interested in discussing the role and level of English-language communication in your company, give me – or Eye for Image a call. We’d be happy to help.



...a major input to branding and communication projects for customers who require intensive strategic process as well as creative ideas. - Claus Wittenborg Managing Director Advance A/S English as a Strategic Asset English is the lingua franca of a world in which globalization, storytelling, etc. are key elements of internationally competitive businesses. Excellent English not only assists customers, employees and business partners to clearly understand and be motivated by the company’s messages, but also sends an important signal about the overall professionalism of the organization. After all, as Don Burr of People Express said: "when a passenger sees a coffee stain on an aircraft seat, they automatically assume we don’t do our engine maintenance right". In my work with many different companies, I regularly hear stories of brand damage and deals that failed because a Danish company underestimated the importance of English communications. Most often, such anecdotes involve written sales proposals. One such anecdote concerns a Copenhagen company that was told its ideas and the team being proposed for a major international account were perfect – but that the quality of language in the sales documentation alone had caused the purchasing committee to lose confidence, awarding the deal to a competitor. So, if you’re producing for English-speaking markets, it pays to remember that you will likely be up against some of the world’s best communicators: the sales and marketing executives recruited by native-English speaking countries. These days, a standard job description for American or British sales and marketing people almost always requests things like: Superior verbal and written communication skills - Theikos (USA) Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability of attention to detail - (Sprint/Nextel) Excellent oral, written and presentation skills… - A.M. Nielsen Strong oral and written communication skills… - Merck & Co. Inc. Professional-level written and verbal communication skills… - New-edge Networks, Inc. Since verbal communication is the backbone of almost any persuasive task, Danish companies have their work cut out for them in oral presentations, written marketing materials and so on. Their native-English speaking counterparts simply have a natural advantage when it comes to speaking or writing persuasively. As part of the effort to lift Danish competitiveness in the international arena, I suggest that Danish companies view the English language skills of their marketing and sales people as a competitive element that needs to be developed and improved in the same way as any other strategic asset. A strategic asset is any asset that has strong significance for an organization’s competitive positioning, whether it be a production, financial or marketing resource. The organization should have a plan for maintaining and further developing each of its strategic assets to make sure that it performs strongly in a competitive marketplace. If you are aiming to do world-class marketing, you have to be doing world-class English. "World-class English" is a term used by the Copenhagen-based copywriting agency Eye for Image and various of its customers and partners to describe the highly professional level of verbal communication deployed by market-leading companies such as Coca-cola, IBM and Maersk. Until recently the domain of companies based in English-speaking countries, World-class English business communication is characterized by: - Clear, concise communication - Proliferating throughout the organization - Correct grammar and spelling - Consistent, correct use of technical terms - Consistent tone and style - Being (at least) on par with competitors based in Britain, the United States or Down Under - Being highly persuasive when this is called for Eye for Image estimates that fewer than fifty large or medium-sized Danish companies consistently demonstrate this level. So how can you increase the value of English language as a strategic asset? Eye for Image has identified five pillars of a strong English-language strategy. These are: 1. Company-wide recognition of the importance of world-class English 2. Definition of and consistent adherence to a particular tone and style 3. Partnering with an international communications agencies specializing in copywriting and/or translation 4. Recognizing the importance of regionalization - the English-speaking world is far from culturally uniform 5. Continuous development of in-house English-language skills If you’re interested in discussing the role and level of English-language communication in your company, give me – or Eye for Image a call. We’d be happy to help.	Viewpoints Nailing the Value Proposition 10 Smart Things to Think About Value Propositions Is H.C. Andersen bad for business? Misplaced Modesty Looking Like a World Leader English as a strategic asset Modern Marketing's Toughest Culture Gap