Words are powerful. And the words we choose to use during our sales conversations can make or break the opportunity to close that sale and help that person.
Our words have the power to “make” the experience good, bad, or indifferent for that prospective client. Our words allow us to educate, excite, remove fear, and gain commitment as well as provide clarity, comfort, and hope.
Our words also have the power to illuminate our focus on ourselves, our ignorance, or lack of conviction, and they can create confusion, fear, and lack of clarity.
That’s why we need to check our words, and remove wimpy or passive words that have no value, and worse, minimize the impact of what we are communicating.
Here’s the most common wimpy, or passive, words I hear. Remove these from your language during sales conversations to describe, ask for, or commit to something:
Try. “I’m going to try to get this done for you.” Or “We try to offer the best advice we can.”
Are you or aren’t you going to do something? Try is not a commitment; it leaves an escape (or an excuse).
Instead:
Just. “I just have a couple of questions.” Or “I’m just trying to …” Or “We will just…”
A “just” minimizes whatever follows. During sales conversations, some people think that makes it “softer,” and that is true; it also makes it not as important. Any statement is much stronger without a “just” in it.
Instead:
Little. “Please tell me a little bit about…?” Or “I am going to share a little…”
Similar to “just,” using “little” is a minimizer. Worse, it tells the person you are holding something back. Or asking them to.
The “tell me a little…” is a big irritant for me. When you ask someone to tell you a “little” what are they supposed to focus on? The message tells them to keep it short as if it doesn’t matter.
Instead:
Hopefully and Obviously.
“Hopefully this will …” Or “I’m hopeful you will …”
“Obviously we will …” Or “It seems obvious that …”
“Hopefully” sounds pessimistic and timid. And if it’s “obvious,” then we shouldn’t waste their time saying it. Or worse, make them feel stupid that they didn’t “see it” without us pointing it out to them.
Instead:
To add some fun: I found a way to use all of these in one extremely wimpy sentence!
“Hopefully, we can spend a little time and get through the agenda today so we can obviously try to just move forward.”
The key when you need to educate, excite, remove fear, and gain commitment, is to remove the wimpy and passive words for a powerful message.
If you want to be a confident guide to your prospects during sales conversations. Stop wimping out.
What do you think? What passive or wimpy words would you add to the list?
The post Stop Using These 5 Wimpy Words and Close More Sales appeared first on Sales Pro Insider.
