| 7 Phrases You Can't Say in Sales | | | | |
| | | | Nobody can sell this cheaper than me. Nobody? |
| (Because They Will Undermine Your Credibility | | | | First off, the world is a big place with a lot of |
| | | | others selling things a lot like what other |
| and Drop Your Closing Rate) | | | | salespeople have. If the salesperson really has the |
| | | | world's lowest price on something and can do |
| | | | business both legally and profitably, instead of |
| | | | wasting time one-on-one with prospects, he or |
| Copyright 2004 by Doug Smart | | | | she should put up a website and rake in the |
| | | | dough. And second, the problem with bragging |
| | | | about being cheapest (besides triggering buyers' |
| | | | skepticism) is that it is a lousy way to make a |
| Years ago, George Carlin listed seven words you | | | | profit. A more satisfactory approach is to show |
| can't say on television. Then HBO came along, said | | | | the value of the product, service, or idea. Value |
| all the words, and the world of television changed | | | | takes into account integrity, experience, service, |
| forever. Now, I know that even before you read | | | | reliability, trustworthiness, uniqueness, desirability, |
| the seven no-no phrases in sales, you might be | | | | return, and how the buyer will be better for |
| tempted to think, oh, whatever these are they | | | | buying. Promoting value ahead of price is a |
| will eventually become acceptable, too. | | | | rock-solid strategy for long-term success. |
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| There are two big problems with this reasoning. | | | | We are the best! Okay, maybe there are a few |
| | | | situations in which this is credible. And I am not |
| 1. Television has been around for about sixty | | | | opposed to the power of positive thinking as a |
| years so it is still a youngster experiencing | | | | confidence builder. But the truth is buyers have |
| growing pains; sales started way back when the | | | | learned that ninety-nine percent of the salespeople |
| inventor of the wheel made a few extras to sell | | | | who say it are lying. A phrase like this turns on |
| to friends. | | | | their BS filter. Best, like beauty, is in the eye of |
| | | | the buyer - not the salesperson. |
| 2. The seven sales phrases are already being said | | | | |
| by salespeople and they are delivering decidedly | | | | |
| mediocre results. They live on because veteran | | | | |
| salespeople say them and novice salespeople ape | | | | Always and never. This pair stands on the same |
| them. The cycle continues. | | | | quicksand as "We are the best." They sound like |
| | | | exaggerations and are frequently perceived as |
| | | | stretching the truth. For example, how truthful do |
| | | | these two statements sound? "We always |
| The big challenge with these words is that they | | | | provide quality service." "Our delivery drivers are |
| undermine the credibility of salespeople and they | | | | never late." Many people simply don't take always |
| encourage defensive barriers to spring up in the | | | | and never at face value. A few years ago I did a |
| minds of the prospective buyers. Talk about | | | | series of training programs for engineers from |
| salespeople shooting themselves in the foot! | | | | several Miller Brewing locations. I asked each to |
| These phrases either degrade what could be a | | | | write the words always and never. Then I asked |
| great sale down to a pedestrian transaction or | | | | each to express as a percentage what the words |
| they scare off buyers. And worse, less | | | | meant. As you would expect, some saw always |
| experienced salespeople think they are supposed | | | | as a one hundred percent occurrence and never |
| to say these phrases in order to entice buyers. | | | | as zero percent. But the unforgettable thing was |
| Here is a word to my sales colleagues: No matter | | | | that twenty-five percent saw them as |
| whether you are selling products, services, and/or | | | | somewhere in between. To many, always and |
| ideas, avoid using these phrases! They will make | | | | never were so abused they became synonymous |
| buyers distrust you. | | | | with frequently and occasionally. For example, "I |
| | | | never lie" was readily perceived as a lie and was |
| | | | reinterpreted to mean "I occasionally lie." |
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| As you read these seven, think of yourself as a | | | | |
| buyer not a salesperson. (Did you ever stop to | | | | |
| consider that over the course of your life you will | | | | What you need is... This is actually a great phrase |
| most likely buy more products and services than | | | | after high levels of rapport and trust have been |
| you will sell?) As a buyer, imagine you are in | | | | developed. But even then this is pretty |
| situation in which a salesperson has recently made | | | | presumptuous on the part of the salesperson |
| your acquaintance. Test your gut reaction. Do any | | | | because he is not the one who has to live with |
| of these seven make you want to buy - or do | | | | the purchase. Just a few days ago a salesperson, |
| they make you want to run? | | | | with whom there was not much rapport or trust, |
| | | | told me "What you need is this computer." That |
| | | | may have been so, but the salesperson did not |
| | | | ask questions -- so he knew little about me, my |
| Here are the seven deadly phrases in sales. | | | | situation, or what I wanted to accomplish. I didn't |
| Actually, one of these is a pair of words, not a | | | | care what he thought I needed. I listened, learned |
| phrase. But all of these leave the same unpleasant | | | | a few things, walked out the store, and bought |
| after-taste as one bad word. | | | | one elsewhere. (See number one.) |
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| Trust me. Instructing people to trust a | | | | This is perfect for everyone. This is another |
| salesperson is pretty much like setting up a | | | | statement that is hard to accept as true (Is H&R |
| too-familiar joke whose punch line is going to be | | | | Block perfect for everyone?). Before adding this |
| "you are an idiot so just give me lots of your | | | | one to the list I tried hard to think of one |
| money now." The pairing of trust and me signals | | | | commercial product or service that really is |
| buyers to put up their defense shields and turn on | | | | perfect for everyone. The closest I could get |
| their BS filters (for Better Sense, of course). | | | | was bottled water. But then I thought, "If the |
| Trust is one of the two concepts that the more | | | | brand of bottled water you sell is indeed perfect |
| somebody asks for it, the more elusive it | | | | for everyone, why do you have competition? |
| becomes. Trust - like love - cannot be requested | | | | Doesn't the mere existence of stiff competition |
| effectively. Although it is plentiful, it has to be | | | | indicate that for some buyers other brands are |
| earned to be genuine. And besides, it is the | | | | more perfect for them?" Okay, you don't sell |
| buyer's prerogative to decide whom to trust, | | | | bottled water. But re-read the above substituting |
| when, and how much. Asking for trust will actually | | | | your stuff for bottled water. |
| hinder the salesperson from getting it. (P.S."Believe | | | | |
| me when I say..." is in the same league.) | | | | |
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| | | | Some other phrases, such as "The check is in the |
| | | | mail," undermine rather than build. No matter how |
| I'm your friend. It is tempting for a salesperson to | | | | well intentioned, when salespeople use these |
| think a buyer is a new friend after the two share | | | | seven phrases, and related phrases, buyers hear |
| fifteen minutes excitedly discussing a mutual | | | | something that is questionable. This can cause |
| experience or passion. This happens, for example, | | | | buyers to react protectively and be selective |
| when both share an obsession for golf and both | | | | about what they choose to believe. That results in |
| once played the course at Pebble Beach in their | | | | fewer closed sales. A smart strategy for |
| youth. However, too many salespeople mistake | | | | salespeople is to steer clear of these seven toxic |
| rapport for friendship. The two are not the same. | | | | phrases. |
| Friendship requires an emotional investment and | | | | |
| real commitment. Friendship takes time, energy, | | | | Doug Smart helps select, develop, and retain |
| and some sacrifice. Friendliness is a great way to | | | | exceptional sales managers and salespeople who |
| ease any tensions in the sales process but | | | | are passionate about thier work. He is the author |
| over-friendliness can raise resentment in buyers' | | | | of "Grow Your Sales by Selling Smarter Not |
| minds. | | | | Harder." He is a consultant and speaker who has |
| | | | presented 2,000 paid presentations around the |
| | | | world. |